Weight loss & diet pills - Gimmicks or Great products?

"Take the blue pill…take the red pill…?" … remember the line? These are the first words uttered … the movie line is taken from The Matrix (1999). The context of the statement is that "Neo" (Keanu Reeves) is living in a world of controlled perception. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), the captain of the "movement" in the movie, is guiding young Neo through a wild ride in "reality" vs. perception. Similar to the movie it is my job, as a personal trainer, to guide people through a journey in perception.

Even in "real-life" it seems that we, as depicted in this movie, simply believe that taking a pill can give us all the solutions to our needs. My question to you is…"Do you think all your problems can be solved by taking a pill?" Do you really believe that answers come from pills or do you believe that answers come from personal responsibility? I guess the real question is…"Do you believe in prevention or "cure"?

Aside from the quirky movie comparison … What is your perspective as related to health, fitness, and better living? Does better living come from better pharmacology? Sure…I guess millions of lives are saved from disease, illness, and genetic failures. Do we accept responsibility for our behavior which contributes directly to poor health and fitness? Are most risk factors for illness lifestyle induced? Even if the latest weight loss pill did work – Is it going to work life-long? What are the risks associated with many of the latest diet pills? Just about any pill we take has a "side-effect" attached to its use in many people. It seems folks are ready to pay just about anything to get their hands on the latest diet pill, or weight loss gimmick out there. Even worse – prescription medications are passed out like candy to hundreds of thousands of obese folks. As we all know many of these medications have proven to be quite dangerous, even deadly.

I guess many of the questions and frustrations I get from folks related to fitness, exercise, and preventative activity, can be traced back to one very important and fundamental question: Are we a cure driven society or a prevention driven society? Does it make sense that the latest carbo-blocker, fat burner or weight loss pill is going to reverse years of poor living? Do you really believe that your personal responsibility can be absolved by a pill?

Lets’ take the general model of "dieting" for example: one program works like this, you take several pills in the morning – have a nutritional shake in the afternoon, chug down another handful of pills by late afternoon, and eat a boxed, pre-portioned, specialized dinner at night. OK. – What happens when you go off this diet program? I guess all of the spectacular results simply go away! Sure, they tell you to take this product, then that product…then hold your breath for ten seconds while jumping up and down…ok…ok, I’m getting carried away – I know. The point is; if you have to take the special pills and do the special diet you simply will not do it for long – that’s why it’s called a diet program. The name itself assures the person that it is something that you start and stop! NO, friends - better living isn’t something you start and stop, it is something you benefit from when you accept responsibility for the care of your health and body.

So what is the answer? Well, my answer is to ask yourself some very important questions.

One; Do you believe that personal responsibility supersedes a cure-all (diet pill)?
Two; Can you accept help from professionals trained to deliver the truth while sharing the reality of your perception?
Three; Can you simply follow instructions?
Four; Are you interested in life-long solutions without hype and gimmicks?
Five; Can you live with the idea that it takes work to solve your fitness and diet problems?

If so, do not take the blue pill, or the red, pill, or the polka dotted pill (unless your doctor has prescribed them)! It is our daily work to help folks understand their perspective of fitness, exercise, and better living by sharing fundamental questions related to fitness awareness. We’re not trying to bend your will; we’re trying to strengthen it! We want you to be as healthy and active as you want to be. We want you to enjoy life and benefit from taking small steps in personal responsibility.