Succeeding with fitness goals comes down to 2 basic things: consistently exercising/eating well and doing the proper exercise program correctly.

As simple as this sounds, it seems like people have been baffled about how to solve these issues. I’m proud to say that feel quite sure we’ve “cracked the commitment code” at Spectrum.

There are  many people that exercise, but fail to get results because they aren’t doing the proper program, performing their program properly, or both. These people that are simply misinformed because of bogus fads and solutions spewed all over. With some knowledge and guidance, they learn a proper program best suited to their needs and how to perform it properly to get results. These people then flourish.

But there is a huge group of people that this doesn’t work for. I suspect that this applies to most people. If not you, then likely someone you know well.

Knowing vs Doing

Plenty people know what they should do. They want to get healthier. They read all of the books, purchase the products, and may even seek professional guidance.

Their problem isn’t knowledge. In fact, they are quite knowledgeable. They read blogs, magazines, books and research. They have learned to filter the B.S. from the truth, and can even recite the evidence on par with a fitness expert.

Their problem isn’t motivation. They genuinely want to be healthy and fit. They have demonstrated characteristics of high motivation in nearly all aspects of their life.

The more experience I have in working with patients and clients the more I realize that the most important and difficult aspect of achieving results is getting patients and clients to commit and comply with their care. I’ve lectured to hundreds of professionals throughout the country, and just returned from another seminar tour in LA. The professionals I speak to all point to the same problem – patient compliance.

Speaking to therapists in Anaheim last weekend

The problem is translating the fleeting motivation to be healthy and fit to a long term habit of eating well and exercising. For any moment, most can rationally commit to a three month commitment to exercise 4 days a week. However,when the moment comes to actually go to the gym, the ability to act on that each day is much more difficult. The daily trials of our busy lives or injuries often intervene before exercising regularly becomes a habit. “Life just get’s in the way”, as many people say.

So how do you translate the desire to get healthy and fit to compliance with regular, daily action to change your diet and exercise? And please, spare me the “we’re just all lazy” line of thinking. That’s simply not true for the majority of people. Ironically, this line of thinking is, well, lazy. You have to look at it a little deeper. People who have run businesses,raised families, fought wars, and mastered a craft still struggle from the same issue of making exercise a habit. Clearly, they aren’t lazy. Something else is going on.

The Bridge From Goal to Habit

Fortunately, I’m not the first one to wonder why people don’t commit to taking action on something they know is beneficial for them. This issue has been studied extensively in the field of economics. In fact, they even have a term for people wanting to do something in the future but failing to do so when the future becomes the present called “dynamic inconsistency” (Laibson 1997). This dynamic inconsistency is observed when people fail to save or invest money, even though they set out a plan to do so seeking the clear financial long term rewards.

In reviewing the research, it is clear that people need help conquering this dynamic inconsistency. What people need is a bridge from goal to habit. They need resources to translate intent to action. And action means not just for a little bit, but for the long term until it becomes an engrained habit. One study showed that habits can take up to 254 days to form (Lally et al. (2009). Studies also say that the longer you do something, the more likely you will default to keep doing it (Goldhaber-Fiebert et al. 2010). So when life circumstances come up that throw you off your routine, you will eventually default to going right back to your routine.

This is what we want if we expect to achieve a healthy fit body for the long term. We want not only a clear goal, but the support and guidance that will move us along the path to get to the goal until the actions are so engrained that they become habit.

I see this scenario play out all to often: People have a clear goal and the commitment, and begin acting towards the goal. They see results, feel great, and then something goes wrong. Their workout partner moves away. Their job changes. A family member gets sick.They get injured. If any one of these scenarios happens during the habit formation phase, then the wheels come off and they crash and burn. They default to their old habits because their new “healthy habits” were in the fledgling phase. You know what happens next. They stop exercising, they regain the weight, and with that comes the negative connotations that they are lazy, have bad genes, or simply are fitness failures.

The Carrot or the Stick?

What is needed are strategies to build these healthy habits. Fortunately, if we look at the research of behavior change and commitment, and expand our view beyond just the fitness realm and look into the world of economics and business, we see some clear solutions.

As mentioned previously, incentives are proven tactic to help facilitate action. Financial rewards are the most common example, Disincentives can be significant motivators as well. Imagine if you had to give $300 to your most reviled political candidate’s re-election campaign if you failed to hit your goal.

However accountability is valuable as well. Studies have shown that those who are held accountable to their goals by reporting on their progress to a coach are 33% more likely to reach their goals versus simply just writing them down. In fact, reporting to a coach has found to be even more effective than financial rewards in changing healthy behaviors (Long JA et al 2012).

Of course, education is critical as well. Studies found that the more someone understands how and why to do their exercise, the more likely they will stay with their program ((Medina-Miraplex. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009).

Coaching, the BTN workout, and a little help from your friends

And supervision is critical. Studies on exercise compliance reveal that supervised exercise is critical for proper performance and learning an exercise program (Medina-Miraplex. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2009). Furthermore, those who are supervised work out harder and achieve better results.

However, I contend that there is a hidden benefit of a coach. Remember how we identified the “life circumstances” issue that knock us off of our rhythm as we attempt to form a new habit? Well a good coach plans for this, and accordingly establishes a version of a BTN workout that allows you to hold your ground until life let’s you get back to your regular plan. We’ve used a similar approach with our maintenance diet plan which is part of our BBC program. This has been a key factor in keeping our clients fit in spite of major life obstacles, and is the reason I have never missed more than a week of workouts in over 20 years. That includes when I was laid up and unable to walk for weeks after my surgery this summer.

Finally, social support is critical. This seems the basis behind the success of programs such as AA.

The Spectrum C.A.R.E.S System

What if an exercise and nutrition approach focused on these tenants? Rather than being fascinated with the latest “insanity”, exercise until you puke (ie cross fit), or stretching in a sauna to release toxins (yeah – that happens)  hot yoga fad, fitness professional should be focused on how to get people committed to exercise until it becomes a life long habit.

We have enough research and experience to tell us what needs to be done.

And at Spectrum we have recently figured out how to pull all of these elements together in our C.A.R.E.S program, which we released at no extra charge to all of our clients last week.

The CARES program takes accountability and support to a whole new level. CARES stands for Commitment, Accountability, Results, Education, and Social Support. Each of these concepts are vital to success, yet are not emphasized adequately by most to achieve true behavior modification and form lifelong habits.

To my knowledge, no fitness company is doing this. I believe this will be a major game changer in the fitness world. Say goodbye to failed commitments, and hello to healthy and balanced habits that are here to stay. If you want to join in on the revolution, come in for a free consult, and hop on board. It’s about time you get the results you want and deserve – for good!

Group exercise classes have been quite popular for some time. There are definitely some great things about group exercise classes, some bad things, and some down right horrible things about group classes. I’m going to steer clear of bashing the horrible things about group exercise, as they are quite obvious.

What might not be so apparent are the good and bad things about such classes you should consider. I won’t give you my thoughts based on just the physiological principles, but also the perspectives that hundreds of non-fitness folks share with me every day. Another often overlooked point is how you can determine determine if you are a good fit for group exercise classes.That’s what I’ll discuss today.

The good things about Group Fitness Classes

1. You feel less like an ass: Some people don’t like being the focus of attention; singled out to have their weaknesses exposed. They prefer to blend into the background, more passively acclimate to the situation until they reach a certain comfort level. Also, when you are trying something new, it might feel good to look around and see others are in the same situation you are, equally clueless but eager to learn. Dance lessons, ski lessons, and cooking classes are other common examples of this.

2. It costs less: This is a no-brainer. Many people look at the price tag of one-to-one services and group services and clearly they see group training as much less expensive.

3. There’s not so much of a commitment: Similar to #1, group classes let you lurk in the shadows. If you don’t show up, you don’t need to cancel, pay a fee, or feel bad for standing someone up.

4. You don’t have to think much: Sometimes it’s nice to simply do what someone says and follow their lead. No planning or brain effort needed – just follow along. This is was pointed out to me by one of my clients years back – sometimes it’s good to shut the brain down and just go.

5. Social support: Having a group of peers around you pushing, sweating, and giving signs of encouragement is huge. This is especially true for athletes, as the team culture pushes them to higher levels. This is also a proven benefit of support groups as well.

The bad things about Group Fitness Classes

1. Difficult environment to learn: People have different learning styles and learn at different paces. Some like things explained to them first: “This is what we are doing, this is why. Here’s the right way and the wrong way”. This is often followed by demonstration, then a chance to do it yourself, followed by feedback and tweaking. I am a classic example of someone who needs this learning style. I use this method often when teaching others, which I call the “tell, show, do, review” strategy.

The other issue is that the goal of most classes is to push the pace and challenge the most fit in the room. This often leaves the less fit or more timid in the dust.

Finally, there is usually a lot of noise and distractions (the smelly dude next to you, why is that lady still wearing rainbow leg warmers, etc) which can make learning how to do a program properly next to impossible.

2. Hard to individualize your plan

Many of us have unique needs. If you are very strong and fit, you often need specialized techniques to push you. Conversely, if you are very de-conditioned, you need extensive modifications of your plan to make it suitable for your needs. Others have injuries which keep rearing their ugly heads with little understanding as why, and still others need extensive monitoring due to certain conditions. Finally, some need planning that extends beyond sets and reps, but more about strategy and scheduling. For example, and executive with 3 kids and frequently travels may need more help with planing a training routine that fits their crazy schedule than anything else.

3. Bias towards aerobics

For some reason, group classes have been heavily resembled aerobic dance competitions or solid gold performances. There is nothing wrong with that, unless you need to preserve muscle mass to increase metabolism or simply are not a good dancer. Yes, I know that there are these muscle pump classes and power yoga classes (which is like jumbo shrimp or gentle football) but they are still mostly aerobic classes. Again, there’s nothing wrong with this, as long as you are also doing real resistance training in addition.

4. There’s not so much of a commitment: Yes, this was also sited as a good thing, but you can see how it would be a bad thing as well. Let’s face it, we all have some issues with commitment (if not big fitness gyms would all go under – you don’t really think big gyms do well if all their members show up, do you?). But when we have to commit, we tend to see good things happen. And the reality is that long term health results require commitment.

5. Individual accountability: Social accountability is great, but we must also cultivate individual accountability. This means 2 things: 1. Being accountable to only your unique  goals and 2. cultivating the sense of being accountable to yourself, not to some group.

Can you get all the good and none of the bad?

This is a question I’ve pondered fro quite some time. At Spectrum, we are known most for our core 1 to 1 services, but we do have small group and workshop based training as well. Our goal is to always innovate so we can provide the best services for various needs. That has forced me to consider whether we can provide all the good aspects of group training while avoiding the bad aspects.

I’m now convinced that we can, based on our skill in scaling exercise according to diverse needs, and our teaching abilities. I talk more about this in a related post about bootcamps. Accordingly, we have developed our SmartFit Program which starts next week. This program is unlike anything available. If you want to see how we combined all the benefits of group training and more, while avoiding the negatives, then you’ll want to check this out.

Is group exercise right for you?

There are a few things you need to ask yourself to determine if group training is right for you:

1.  Do you strongly prefer one-to-one instruction and have failed at group approaches?
2.  Are you incredibly shy and don’t like to ask questions in a group?
3.  Do you have very unique needs? (i.e. want to compete in a unique sport event, have an injury that has not been properly assessed and managed, have a cardiac condition that requires constant monitoring, are very distracted in group settings?)

If you said yes to the above issues, than group fitness classes might not be for you. Otherwise, a proper group exercise program may be exactly what you need.

Not sure if they are right for you? You can always request a consultation with us, and we can help you determine if group classes are a good option or not.

Here’s to more of the good  and less of the bad in group fitness classes!

It’s no wonder that obesity trends are on the rise, preventable diseases running rampant, and children are succumbing to diseases and injuries at increasing rates that were previously seen only in adults. Painful conditions like low back pain have reached epidemic proportions as well.

We are being deceived all the time about what is healthy, how to relieve pain and how to get fit. The medical community, fitness community, government policies, “fitness gurus” – they are all at least partially to blame. But this wouldn’t be so if there was an underlying belief that we are all personally responsible to seek the truth. Instead we are drawn to talk shows, infomercials, fads, and reality shows to get answers, and rarely question the same old advice that fails to get results.

People actually take her seriously?

Prevention is Everywhere, Results…Not So Much!

All these devastating conditions are on the rise in spite of advances in pharmaceutical, surgical, and  imaging sciences, as well as a flourishing multi-billion dollar fitness industry. How can this be?

The Cure for Misinformation

Whether you are an exercise newbie or a fitness freak, you likely are weighed down by a healthy dose of misinformation. In fact, the more time you’ve spent in a gym or a clinic, the more you are being weighed down by misnformation about fat loss, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement. The reason why this country are going in the wrong direction towards improving health is because of misinformation. We are being fed irrelevant and inaccurate information.

Knowledge is the key

Researchers wanted to know the most important factor for determining long term compliance to an exercise program.  They discovered that the most important factor was…

KNOWLEDGE!

The more the subjects knew about how and why to do their exercise program, the more likely they would comply.

I would imagine the same would relate to nutrition.

Expose the Fallacies, Get the Facts

If you want to take an active role in seeking the true solution to improving your health and fitness and you believe that people should seek out the truth from credible sources, not just listen to the loudest, glitziest, and simplest fad of the week, then I can help. And if you think you know someone who has had the wool pulled over their eyes - please send this to them. (these people are easy to spot – they go to the gym, always have aches and pains, or have dozens of tapes and fitness gadgets in their home).

In effort to tell people the truth about getting healthy and fit based on research, experience, and common sense, I am hosting a seminar at the Spectrum Fitness Consulting Studio, titled, “Fitness Facts and Fallacies” on Thursday, July 21rst, from 6-7:30pm. Admission is $25 if you register after July 14th. If you register before July 14th, registration is only $15.

Here are some of the issues we address – see if you can distinguish fact from fallacy:

• Eating late causes more fat gain
• Cardio is the best way to burn fat
• Eating eggs increases cholesterol
• Resistance training machines are safer than free weights
• 60 minutes  of exercise/day most days of the week is best for health and fat loss
• Fat intake is associated with stroke and heart disease
• Strong abs prevent back injuries
• Eating small, frequent meals is best for fat loss
• Food is not addictive
• Most fitness trainers teach safe exercise
• More fat is burned at moderate intensities, known as the fat burn zone
• Rapid fat loss is less effective in the long run

Attend for Free!

If you bring another friend or family member with you, you can both attend for free! Be sure to call Kristine at 978-927-2065 or email at schedule@spectrumfit.net to reserve your spot today, as seating will be limited.

To celebrate the Fourth of July, some attend patriotic parades, others firework displays, and many go to cookouts. Me, well I chose to hang out in the ER, then the OR at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen.

Last Sunday I completely ruptured my patella tendon as well as my lateral and medial retinaculum. For those who aren’t aware, the patella tendon is the tendon (actually it is a ligament, but referred to as a tendon because of its role in knee extension) that connects your patella and quad to the tibia, or shin bone. Without it, you aren’t able to walk, stand, or straighten your knee.

So how did this happen? Well, there was this kitten stuck in a tree…ok not really. I don’t have a good story. Unfortunately, a heated game of horse enticed me to perform a dazzling running hook shot to put my athleticism on display (count the oxymorons in that sentence). As  I  planted my leg to explode into untold heights,  my foot slipped just as  I was ready for liftoff, and I felt like I had been shot in my knee. As I clutched my knee, I saw my patella was relocated up my thigh, and knew that I had ruptured my patella tendon. My leg was in extreme spasm, and my quad was pulling my knee cap further up my thigh. Fortunately, a fellow PT was at the party and he extended my knee so that the quad could relax and the patella returned to somewhat of a normal location. After a brief stay in the ER and a night at the hospital, I had surgery the next morning on the 4rth of July.

left, where the patella goes when the tendon ruptures. Right, where the patella should be

All went well, although I was disappointed that there were no burgers or beers waiting for me in the recovery room – that’s no way to celebrate the fourth. For the next few days, my time was spent in the hospital watching bad TV, recounting my lame mechanism of injury to concerned family and friends, and interacting with the amazing staff at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen. Being restricted to no leg movement and no weight bearing for 6 weeks, hopped up on narcotics, and sans laptop, I had little to do except contemplate how I would attend to all my responsibilities being laid up like this, how miserable the rehab was going to be, and how lucky I was that I have all the resources and circumstances to deal with all this. Most importantly, I realized how this injury, although extensive, pales in comparison to what many people go through every day.  And I had the opportunity to have lengthy conversations with everyone I came across in the hospital, from Doctors, nurses, aides, janitors, volunteers, administrators, and even clergy. Those conversations were a real silver lining to the whole injury storm cloud.

Perspectives From the Patient

All the while I wondered how this experience would lend perspectives and secrets to help my clients and patients improve their health. I have plenty of first hand experience with injuries and from each I have learned priceless lessons that have really helped those I treat. Only a few days out from surgery, I have already amassed several. So here are some lessons that will surely help you along your fitness journey:

1. Never take function for granted – always focus on maximizing your function. Being able to move and participate in basic daily activities, as well as high level work tasks and sports functions is probably the greatest gift we have. Few appreciate this until it is gone, even if temporarily. Requiring assistance going to the bathroom, not being able to get into a car or hold your kids sucks. When you are complaining about going to the gym or feeling lazy, remember that there are people who would give anything to run, jump, or simply do the basics we take for granted. If you have your function intact, consider it an obligation to take great care of it.
2. Injuries happen –even if you do everything right.  Sometimes, we simply can’t control what happens, especially if you play sports. Which is all the more reason why we should aim to prevent the injuries we know we can prevent, or at least significantly reduce the likelihood of experiencing, like most low back and neck pain, rotator cuff injuries, tendonopathies, ACL injuries, and stress fractures to name a few.
3. Technique is vital! It has been estimated that a healthy patella tendon can withstand up to 17.5 times your body weight prior to failure. So how could jumping cause a rupture? Well, several ways, but I suspect in my case it was at least partially related to my center of mass shifting well behind my base of support as my foot slipped forward and my body fell backwards precisely at the same time I applied force to jump. This significantly increases torque. Similarly, poor technique can dramatically change the physics of an exercise, such that a safe exercise becomes an injurious exercise
4. Don’t say “can’t” –  FIND A WAY! I have witnessed C5 quadriplegics transfer independently in and out of their wheel chairs to their bed. Far less extreme, from wrapping the upper end the end of a crutch around my foot and changing the furniture around  in my living room, I figured out how to independently get on and off my couch with a leg immobilizer, no quad intact, and no weight bearing allowed on my leg. The first time happened in the middle of the night – I had to go to the bathroom, was on the couch in the living room and didn’t want to wake up my wife and kids by yelling upstairs for help. It took me 3o minutes, but I figured it out. It never occurred to me that I could not do it. There are people far more disabled than I and navigated around greater challenges. When things seem daunting and they are important, you find a way. When it comes to your health, no matter your family crisis, work issues, or personal demons – you need to address your health – you have to FIND A WAY!
5. It is never as bad as you think. Our brains tend to catastrophize. Our thoughts are usually far  worse than reality. Opportunities to learn and great experiences usually hide amongst struggles and challenges.
6. Broken bones and leg injuries are the easier injuries to deal with compared to back and neck pain. I’ve herniated discs in my spine and had fractures and tears requiring surgery. The latter are much easier to deal with. First, you have visible damage, both via imaging and externally with a brace or cast and crutches that everyone can see. Everyone sympathizes and accommodates someone with crutches. No one debates the significance of the injury. The cause is usually well known by all involved. Even though the pain might be greater and the healing time is longer, the suffering is often less with these injuries compared to that of low back pain. Low back pain is more variable, the cause is more elusive, and the damage is not obvious or visible. Something to think about when you or someone you know is contending with low back or neck pain.
7. When things are bad with you, focus on everyone else from time to time. The day after surgery, I was bored as hell and sick of being drugged up and in the hospital. I knew my stomach wouldn’t take the morphine much longer, plus I needed to show Physical Therapy that I could walk independently with crutches and go up and down stairs in order to get back home that night. So, I stopped the IV, and periodically meandered up and down the hospital halls. Still bored and sick of telling people the same story about what happened to me, I resorted to talking to every single person I came in contact with. I had lengthy conversations with the nurses,  phlebotomists, administrators, janitors, aides, and anyone I came across. My goal was to find out as much as I could about them and their day. That was the best day since my injury. Although the pain was worse, I felt so great hearing the interesting stories and seeing the smiles on people when someone seemed really interested in knowing how they were doing. I honestly wasn’t trying to be a great guy, I was really bored. But I realized how good it felt to get outside of yourself and your problems and focus on someone else for a moment. Of course, don’t do so to your detriment, but rather as a means to simply feel  good, and make someone else smile.
8. Many people really want to help you:  If you know someone in the healthcare industry, odds are you know someone who genuinely likes to help those who are sick or hurt.  That is the same thing with the employees at Spectrum. My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is assembling a team of people who genuinely want to help people get more healthy and fit. When you need help, and there are people around you who desperately want to help you – let them.
9. Humor fixes most things: Getting hurt is serious stuff, but making someone laugh relieves a lot of tension and anxiety. A sense of humor is a great trait when times are tough. It is hard to feel pain when you are laughing!
10. Pain does not always come from mechanical damage: Much of the pain after a trauma, especially the days following, is from the chemical irritation as a consequence of inflammatory byproducts, the pressure on vascular and neural structures caused by increased volume if fluids, and the hypoxia and impaired tissue perfusion resulting from altered pressure gradients between cells and blood vessels. Also, the peripheral nervous system becomes hypersensitive, and even the central nervous system changes in response to pain. So even when a structure is mechanically stabilized, pain will often persist. That’s why intermittent movement, elevation, compression, ice, medication, and proper nutrition are some important things in managing pain.

Well, that’s about all the lessons I can think from my perspective as a recent patient. My hope is that you translate these lessons to help push you towards accomplishing your health and fitness goals, which can be equally, if not more so of a challenge as recovering from a major injury.

And when you need help, we are always here for you! Give us a call or request a consultation, and we will get you the results you deserve!

As I’m getting ready for Pushups For Charity this year, thought you might appreciate some cool stuff about pushups in general and lasts year’s event:

Ever wondered how much weight you are actually lifting when you are doing a push-up? We did an experiment in our studio and food the answer. Also, we quantified how you can determine the resistance with advanced techniques like using bands. Check it out here.

Speaking of advanced pushups techniques, see how my daughter’s helped me train last year – the pics tell the story about how well that worked! Click here.

You can see the results from last year’s push ups for charity event here.

Finally, check out the cool photo’s from last years event and the total money we raised for the Wounded Warrior Project by clicking here.

To learn more about this years event and to donate, go to www.pushupsforcharitybeverly.com – We would love to have your support!

You have probably heard of the shoes that claim to tone your butt just by walking,  amongst other things (like improved circulation, greater fat loss,   strengthening of your calves,  hamstrings,  and low back). It is hard not to see commercials or magazines with the ads of scantly glad women with great buns donning a pair of these ridiculous looking shoes. The claim is that you simply walk with these shoes, and the above results are yours.

The distinctive feature of the shoe design is that they have a rocker bottom which alters gait and provides instability.

The many ads of scantly glad women with great buns donning a pair of these ridiculous looking shoes and claims of research validating their effectiveness are pasted all over magazines targeting women, and TV commercials. Hall of fame quarterback Joe Montana endorses them,  as do several other celebrities.

Let’s look at the research and some common sense to see if this is legit.

THE PHYSIOLOGIC AND ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC RESPONSES TO WALKING IN REGULAR ATHLETIC SHOES VERSUS “FITNESS SHOES”,Porcari, Ph.D., et al. * American Council on Exercise (* amongst the “et al  was Stephanie Tepper, who submitted this research study as part of her masters thesis at Univ. Wisconsin-Lacrosse. The lead author often takes credit and is listed first because they head the department, but it seems like Stephanie did most of the work – just trying to give credit where credit is due).

The researchers looked at the most common “fitness shoes”:  Skechers Shape Ups, MBT, and Reebok Easy Tone  shoes, and compared them with standard flat shoes (New Balance). The study was very well designed. They concluded that there was absolutely no difference in muscles activated, energy spent, calories burned, or any metric to substantiate these claims.

The research shows clearly that this concept of a shoe design to increase fitness, like most fitness fads, is a load of crap. In spite of their convincing marketing campaigns, these shoes do not do what they claim. Unfortunately, they do rob you of $100-$250 dollars, look silly, deceive you, and may increase your risk of injuries. Teppers study revealed that some subjects excessively pronated while walking in the “fitness shoes”. Over pronation has been linked to foot and knee pain.

So where did these companies get their data about these false claims? Skechers sites independent research (which means they performed heavily bias and poorly designed experiencements to boost their claims), and will not publish their research.  Accordingly, I suggest the name be changed to Sketchys.

Even if their claims of increased muscle activation of the glutes by 40% via walking with heir shoes  were true, who cares? This does not mean that you will get stronger or lose more fat. It is like saying using a broom to clear a foot of snow off my driveway is 40% more effective than using my hands – therefore, we should all use brooms to deal with snow accumulation!

These companies have made millions deceiving people. This happens all to often. The formula is well established: find a problem people desperately want solved, provide them a simple and easy solution, and use celebrity media, and unscrupulous claims that most won’t critique to appear legit.

People are easy targets for this junk because we so desperately want to feel better and look better. Please don’t let fall for this stuff, and encourage your friends and family to steer clear from this garbage. The road to improving fitness, reducing pain, and looking and feeling better is full of enough challenges. No need to add the ill feelings of deceit and failure on account of falling for these schemes to the challenge.

Hey, if the Kardashians endorse it, it must be legit!

Instead, encourage them to read, investigate, and seek legitimate solutions for proper health and fitness. Hopefully my newsletters and blogs will continue to serve as your resource for the fitness truth.

Speaking of, be sure to sign up for my new print newsletter by clicking here. Our first edition goes out on Monday, and we will be sending them monthly, full of recipes, practical health and fitness solutions, humor, and special offers.

Also, check out this article to learn the truth about working the glutes and here to see some more videos of a great glute exercise.