Fitness Industry Failure & How to Find Your Low Hanging Fruit
We are now a month (32 days) into the new year and many people are losing steam on their new year health and fitness resolutions. Many goals that seemed far more doable only weeks ago, may now feel out of reach or forgotten. For some, this may be the end until next year, others may press on in some capacity or find a different speed, while small percentage will actually still be getting after it in the way they initially sought out. But for how long and to what end? Will it be sustainable and healthy long term? And why can these health and fitness related changes feel difficult to sustain? One reason may actually have to do with the fitness industry itself. We don’t like to place blame on external sources and point fingers (we are about owning our work that we need to do after all); BUT hear us out on this one.
Fitness Industry Failure:
One big reason why health and fitness related goals can be so difficult to stick with for some is because the fitness industry itself has failed in making clear what REAL SUSTAINABLE long term health and fitness look like….THERE…We said it!….Look just about anywhere online, social media (especially), magazines, etc. The industry at large continues to fail to show and promote what actual healthy long term behaviors look like for most people most of the time. With the rise of uneducated and misguided instagram “trainers” and “health authorities” the fitspiration (read: not the best way to get inspired) can’t get any worse sometimes. This also has to do with how some of this messaging can make us feel not so great about ourselves aside from just misinforming or disinforming us. This includes failing to show what the reality is for even people that look pretty damn fit (HINT: It’s not juice cleanses or the one size fits all workout plan). The sad thing is that many of these very authority figures may not be truthful in that regard either.
One of the problems is that the health and fitness industry is just that, an industry, and many of the main players are looking to sell something. To make lots of money selling something, it helps to have a very difficult but oversimplified problem coupled with an oversimplified dogmatic solution. Often times this can come in the form of a quick and easy type fix that is presented logically from an oversimplified perspective, but lacks the nuance that most people actually need on an individual level (i.e. “The best weight loss diet” or “3 quick and easy tips for…” type solutions) . This kind of oversimplified dogma also appears for exercise regimens but you may also see overly complicated solutions as well.
Additionally many companies and individuals in the industry deliver extreme images of unrealistic idealized aspects of health and fitness gone too far and perhaps not even healthy. You will see this as “perfect” bodies all over social media with some real and some fake (i.e. lean as FAR too lean for most people to be healthy and happy). You may also see these in areas of fitness purely based on aesthetics like a bodybuilder or fitness model right before a show or shoot. Also not a healthy state to live in long term or even short sometimes as has sadly now been seen with increasing deaths in this particular fitness arena as time has gone on. Again, you will see similar extremes shown in exercise in the form of brutal looking exercise regimens portrayed as if they are what should be the daily norm. Of course, you will also see the many companies and faces on the nutrition side of the space mainly portraying the healthiest versions of food porn possible that most people will not be able (nor should they perhaps) adhere to. What fun is no French fries or dessert every now and agin after all?
However, while you may know or acknowledge to some degree that the health and fitness space is overrun by companies and individuals pushing the extreme as necessary and commonplace to reach your goals, what you may not realize is how deeply this may still penetrate your psyche. This can happen while also knowing it may be too much or harmful. Hello cognitive dissonance and confusion! In relation to your goals, do you actually know what you need to do to achieve and sustain them? Do you know what diets or exercise regimens are necessary, too extreme, or maybe not enough as far as the behaviors that are necessary to be your happiest, healthiest and most fit?
The real solutions may be what is not the simplest or perhaps the most extreme; BUT rather what is realistic for you in relation to your goals.
Extreme vs Real
If you go on social media, you are well aware of the extreme examples of many things portrayed as daily commonplace to try to copy so you can get to where you want to be. Again, this is easy to then become what you assume as the norm. After all, you are literally seeing a healthy and fit looking individual engaging in this behavior. As humans we are also drawn in by our vision to believe “what healthy should look like” as actually unhealthy. If you are watching your favorite fit-fluencer making their daily low carb keto bomb breakfast bites then that must be the answer and why they have the 8-pack abs they are sporting in the video, right?! As a caveat, while those 8-packers may have great looking stereotypically fit physiques and seem happy on the outside with their camera ready smiles, the majority I have met (and having been there myself) are/were not very happy or feeling great on the inside. Of course there are always exceptions and some people can hang out at very low levels of body fat as in this 8-pack example, but the point is that it is far from what is normal or healthy for the vast majority of the population let alone being what peak health looks like. Can you say low sex hormones?? Even those that have them most of the time do not sport them year round; and if they do…well…maybe refer back to the point about not feeling so great.
The same can be said about exercise or fitness camps that go to a complete end of the spectrum. Whether it’s HIIT boot camp 6 days a week or some other fitness paradigm that is constantly high revving, likely the most balanced fitness protocols don’t look like going balls to the wall every single day. It’s also not about just staying in any one zone only. Being really healthy and fit requires rest and recovery and days that don’t zap you too hard. It requires balance. It requires lower intensity sessions and foundation building/revisiting. AND… yes some doses of higher intensity too.
And that’s the point. How often do you companies or individuals showing their 4-pack or lack there of when they aren’t camera ready? Meals that have a dessert treat, a breakfast that doesn’t look like it’s from food magazine? An instagram posting of a day of rest or just some lower intensity movement, a lift that isn’t extremely heavy or a personal best, or really anything that is a compromised balance or more real? Probably almost never.
Most people in the fitness industry and the companies selling products can’t sell you balance or the realities of health, fitness and longevity that thrives in not living in the extreme or oversimplified answer they sell….SO…they don’t.
It’s Just About Movement
Aside from getting annoyed with those peddling the best nutrition strategy for seemingly everyone, what really chaps us is when we see specific movement paradigms talking themselves up as the best solution for everyone to be fit. Or, we see something beneficial in any quantity getting talked down because it’s not the best amount or best way. The fitness industry REALLY (sarcasm intended) likes to talk in absolutes and something being better than something else. Everything has to be a competition, right?!
6000 vs 8200 vs 11000 steps? How is this even an argument? It’s probably just more movement and anything MORE than nothing or only a couple thousand steps is always better when it comes to many health outcomes whether we are talking heart health, diabetes, apnea, etc . If you sit all day and don’t take any steps, just try going for a long walk to get started. It doesn’t need to be a competition here either.
Orange Theory vs CrossFit vs F-45? We have seen this one and also get asked if one is better than another. All probably just challenge your body in a way that sends the signals to pack on or keep lean muscle and improve various health markers, mood, etc.; Just like MOST ALL exercise styles that involve some degree of resistance training and getting your heart and breathing rate up (wink wink)
Machines vs Free Weights? Again we see this one as a little ridiculous along with the perfect form fanaticism that can come along with it. Yes we push precise technique and we use machines and free weights both. And, while we may be biased to a nice mix of both for the hypothetical functional transfer of free weights, JUST PICK ONE YOU WILL DO! After all, can’t machines be functional too if it means you will keep more muscle mass? It doesn’t matter if it’s what you like and will do!
At the end of the day, it’s all about movement. It’s about challenging your body enough in a way to toggle the switches that set the physiological mechanisms in motion to promote health and fitness. There are SO MANY WAYS to toggle those switches! Your body-mind likely doesn’t know a real difference between going to near failure on a hack squat machine versus a barbell squat when it comes to putting on lean muscle mass.
As Always, Mostly, It’s About What is Sustainable
Coupled with the massive failure of promoting extremes and false dichotomies, the fitness industry lacks important messaging to promote nuance in what is sustainable. There is so much focus and promotion around doing some best practice that it fails to promote what is actually WAY more important…Is this SUSTAINABLE for Y O U??
What may be sustainable for the instagram trainer sharing how his ketogenic diet solved so many of his health problems may very well NOT be something that will be sustainable for you if you love eating carbohydrate. Is there magic in the ketogenic diet for most people? Likely not, if we are talking about weight loss or improved health markers. Many diets can accomplish that. So why would we promote that as “THE” way if in fact there are MANY ways to achieve the same results and maybe in a way that is more sustainable for the person looking for help?
If you are looking to achieve something specific, then it makes sense to look into what will be something that you can and want to do in the first place rather than forcing something. Most specific changes will require that you are consistent in the long run, which means it will need to be a something you can do for many years to come and maybe a lifetime, not something forced.
What Can Help? Find Your Low Hanging Fruit to Start
We like to help people get started and also sustain practices that bring them in sync with their goals and better health by practicing a fun technique to get started (and even sustain). It’s called “picking the lowest hanging fruit”. Think of this literally as easy as picking the ripe fruit that is lower on the tree versus climbing WAY WAY up into the canopy to get to the rest of the same fruit. Basically, if you now the easier low hanging fruit will still bring you reward, why exert harder than needed, especially at the beginning if you are having a hard time getting started or keeping going?
What is something that you want to accomplish for your health and fitness this year and what is one of the easiest things you can think of to go about working towards that each day? Over time, that action will become more automatic and likely with more ease since it won’t be a big reach for you. Again, there is no need to hit a grand slam your first time at bat. Just get on base and get in the game. Way less pressure, way easier to do, and a sustainable strategy to rack up wins.
If you are having trouble making a dent or building steam in the new year, you may have bought into the extremes being shown all around you or maybe you thought you had to make really big moves and quickly. Quite the opposite, so if you are especially having trouble, try a VERY SIMPLE and EASY daily action that aligns with a goal. If the goal is to move more and you like getting outside during the day, start with a 10-min walk if that sounds good. If you are trying to lose some weight for your health and are having a hard time sticking to a meal plan or tracking food, try including more fiber like fruits and vegetables, or maybe a little more protein. Even just having some more water or maybe sleeping an extra hour can make MASSIVE differences for your health. Pick something simple and start there!