Fit to Sell
Sometimes it amazes me that with all of the fitness programs that become fads, we have what at least one expert called an obesity epidemic in America. A lot of these programs tell us that losing weight is easy, that it requires little to no thinking--or even effort.
"Eat these pre-packaged meals. [Insert celebrity endorsement]. Watch the weight fall off."
"Eat raw foods only. [Insert conspiracy theory]. You'll lose weight and feel better.
"Eat only meat. [Insert atypical before and after examples]. You'll lose weight."
The promise is that they can work, and to some extent, most (not all) of these fads and plans may work to some degree -- if you only want to lose weight are willing to do the work (which is clearly and prominently displayed in low-contrast mouse-type at the bottom of the ad).
With an audience that frequently jumps from one fad to the next, those concerned only with selling may believe the biggest challenge is getting them to believe that this one will work better than the last one.
Actually, biggest challenge is convincing them to do the work required of them.
Coming to the end of my 3-month quest to lower my obscenely high cholesterol levels, I can now say with some authority how difficult it can be to turn away that second portion, to refuse to eat the cookies staring me in the face and calling my name, to wake up at 3:30 a.m. to work out alone when I'd rather be curled up under my blankets with my wife, and to put everything I have into it -- knowing full well that I'd be tired and sore afterwards.
During this quest, I set some measurable goals. Weight loss was not one of them. My primary goal was to improve my cholesterol levels.
Consequently, I wouldn't be able to see if the sacrifices I was making were actually producing results I needed them to produce until after the whole thing was over.
While grand promises about better health, more strength, better looks, and a better sex life may get customers through the door, setting unrealistic expectations about what it takes to succeed will not get them to sing your praises.
Giving Thanks
The impetus for improving my health was my high cholesterol, which I discovered when getting a routine physical I was required to have before going to scout camp with my son this summer.
My motivation was to be around to enjoy my family for many years.
My inspiration was Jason Falls and his efforts to help himself and others stay fit through Twit2Fit.
The program I used was P90X. My wife bought it for me, and she worked hard to make sure I had access to all of the nutrition I needed to be successful.
The program is simple, but it isn't easy. There's really no "gimmick" to it: Burn more calories than you take in (if your goal is weight loss). The workouts are structured in a way to prevent plateauing, which sounds good enough to repeat, but I didn't care about anything but my cholesterol.
Here's a little something to chew on:
I didn't even finish the first workout.
There were several occasions that I thought I wasn't going to make it through the entire thing. There were times I thought I'd eat my pre-P90X words.
"I can do anything for 90 days," I said. "I can stand on my head."
In the end, I lowered my overall cholesterol from 247 to 203.
The new number, while a vast improvement, is still a little high, so I know it's something I am going to have to continue to monitor. However, now that I'm accustomed to eating better (I was forced to in order to stick with the program), it's something I plan to continue doing -- hopefully for my entire life.
Why P90X: A Marketing Lesson
Like I explained, my wife bought the DVDs, the bands, and the weights. I can't say that I would have bought it, but only because I'm stubborn and I'm the sort of guy who thinks he can do anything for 90 days without any outside help.
Plus, P90X includes some "pansy" exercises like yoga, and I wasn't about to buy that (what a mistake that would have been!).
Like any good 2.0 consumer, she did a little Google search and found the video testimonies of a lot of people who tried it.
The folks who market P90X encourage such testimonies through community and meaningful contests. Their forums are filled with people who have done it or are doing it.
These people encourage one another. Because results are possible (in other words, because P90X can deliver on its promise), the community organically convinces new members that they, too, can do the work the program requires.
At times, the program is difficult, but they realize that and have developed a means to get people to push through it -- not by their own marketing, but through the encouragement of others -- because they understand that their advertising isn't going to work nearly as well as the testimonies of those who have done it. - Cam Beck
Awesome news, my man. Good for you. Glad (and humbled) I could play a small part. Now if I can just get my own butt into shape, I'll feel better, too.
You're a stud. Keep working on that cholesterol dude. We're here for encouragement!
Posted by: Jason Falls | November 20, 2008 at 02:38 PM