“Get Big Muscles in Just Seven Days“
“Lose 15 Pounds in Only One Week“
Have you seen headlines like this on Magazines Covers at the Checkout Line or late night television infomercials? Have you ever tried one of these instant fitness programs?
While the Government has cracked down on many of those exaggerated claims, there are still some programs out there that seem to be too good to be true. And people buy them all the time. It’s big money.
Is it possible to get big muscles in just seven days? Yes it is — at least bigger muscles.
Is it possible to lose fifteen pounds in a week? College wrestlers do it all the time to make weight in a lower weight class.
Is it a way to get healthy and fit. Not a chance. In fact, one of the huge downsides to binge fitness is that rather than increasing your energy level and looking and feeling good, all too often your energy level drops significantly, your immune system suffers, and you look and feel tired, worn out, and “out of sorts”.
Yes, even legitimate programs will give you bigger and stronger muscles in just seven days, but not big and strong as you think of those words. If you lift weights for a week, chances are your muscles will be a tiny bit bigger and you will be a bit stronger after that one week. Will it be measurable? Sometimes. Will it continue? Yes, if you keep doing it. No, if you stop.
All too often, people want to lose a bunch of weight quickly because they want to look good in their wedding dress, or maybe look good for their High School reunion. This is a common reason for binge exercises and diets and it can work — short term.
I see these folks at the gym a lot. Around May, June and October mostly.
Then what happens? After the wedding, or after the High School reunion, people stop and go back to the condition they were in before binging for the event. Or worse.
You can lose weight quickly and you can get stronger quickly. Is it worth it in terms of your overall heath and fitness? Not a chance — UNLESS — you transition into a sensible program of good exercise and eating and continue it until . . . Whenever.
Don’t be fooled by the headlines and the late night infomercials. If you want to lose weight or shape up, follow a sensible fitness program. You don’t have to go to the gym. You can do it at home if you follow a good self-directed program. Just remember to start off easily and progress at a slow to moderate pace. If you do that, you will look better and certainly feel better before you know it. Don’t be impatient. You will start to get stronger and fitter right out of the starting gate, but it takes time to get the kind of fitness that you are looking for. So keep at it.
If you really need to lose weight to look the way you want in your wedding dress or for your reunion, how about planning a bit more in advance.
Thank you for reading.