Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Unnecessary Fitness Expenses
It's Time
You Stopped Paying These Fitness 'Stupidity Taxes'
The term “stupidity
tax” was coined as a method of maligning the poor for spending money on lottery
tickets. The reality is that the American dream rarely comes true, and the poor
have limited opportunities for creating significant wealth. While those from
wealthier classes have much more opportunity available, lottery tickets are
often the only hope, no matter how astronomically remote, that many have to
ever amass riches. And so, they are grasped at for a few dollars as a temporary
escape from the crushing reality of seemingly inescapable poverty.
There are many ways
for the rest of us to pay “stupidity taxes” in everyday life because we simply
don’t understand the reality of how we’re being ripped off. From car
undercoatings to extended
warranties to overpriced HDMI cables, the market abounds
with methods to spend more than you need to while going through life.
But I want to focus
specifically on how you’re getting ripped off
in terms of health and fitness. Here we go.
1. Buying Organic
I told you there would
be butthurt.
For some, organic is
like a religion, and this section is gonna piss off some folks plenty. Here is
the quick and dirty:
- It’s not any
more nutritious.
- There is nothing
dangerous about GMOs and no benefit to avoiding them.
- Organic
does not mean pesticide-free. In fact, synthetic pesticides
are a lot more efficient than natural ones because much less is used and
they biodegrade a lot easier. Using so-called natural pesticides requires
a much higher amount be used and they’re not any safer. “Natural” does not
equate to “harmless.”
- It’s not any
better for the environment. In fact, because it refuses to
use modern technology in favor of far less efficient farming methods, it
can actually be worse for the environment. It’s a reality that if we
relied solely on organic farming to feed the world, most of us would
starve.
- There are some who say that organic tastes better, and
in some cases, like with
strawberries, this might be true. Considering that organic
usually costs around 30% more, it’s an individual choice to decide if it’s
worth the cost.
Organic is about
selling fear. Academics Review looked
at over 100 published and market research studies and determined that the $63
billion market for organic food is all an endeavor in selling people on a
concept of food safety.
Because in order to justify
spending a lot more money on organic, people need to believe that non-organic food isn’t
safe. And thus, a campaign of fear — what Academics Review referred to as a
“multi-decade public disinformation campaign” — has misled consumers and
created a thriving marketplace for privileged people to pay their stupidity
tax.
2. Personal Trainer
Dependence
I am a friend to many
excellent personal trainers who can elevate your training to a new level, help
you reach your goals, alleviate pain, make you stronger, leaner, faster … all
kinds of good stuff.
Yet it is a market
where the buyer must beware, because some trainers
suck while also sucking tons of money out of your wallet.
Often, these are trainers who work for a large, franchise fitness center who
have sales quotas to meet. There is one large gym chain that pitches every new
customer with $10,000 per year of personal training, regardless of what that
person’s needs actually are. They will actually refuse to train anyone
for less than a multi-thousand dollar package because it
doesn’t have the necessary return on investment for them. Those two or three
free sessions are often all about telling you everything that’s “wrong” with
you in preparation for the hard sell of thousands of dollars’ worth of training
in order to “fix” all your “problems.”
Big box franchise gyms
are heavily dependent upon selling as much personal training as possible in
order to stay in business. They favor their trainers far more for their sales
skills than their ability to actually train their clients well. These trainers
operate by keeping their clients figuratively (and sometimes literally) off balance
with ever-changing and silly exercise
regimens so the client comes to believe they always need
something new and complicated in order to improve. The trainers also train their
clients in such a way that does not help the client gain independence in terms
of exercising.
The last thing these
trainers want is for their client to learn how to live without them.
3. Elitist Fad Diets
The diet industry is
built upon bovine droppings. It’s so full of shit its eyes are brown. The
latest and most prominent money-grabbing fad is paleo,
which allegedly allows you to eat the way your caveman ancestors did.
Because troglodytes
had access to all this stuff, which you can easily buy with your credit card
and a click of the mouse.
- Paleo butter
- Paleo coffee
- Paleo dog food
- Paleo chocolate
- Paleo chocolate chip cookies
- Paleo turkey jerky, which comes in plain, spicy and extra
spicy
- Paleo caviar
- Paleo energy bars
- Paleo waffles
- Paleo syrup
- Paleo yogurt
- Paleo ice cream
- Paleo protein powder
Paleo protein
powder? Really? These guys will also sell you paleo Vitamin D (which I expect
our ancestors got by, you know, going outside), and even paleo “recovery
powder.” Check out those prices.
4. Brand Name Drugs
Generic
pharmaceuticals have to prove that they meet rigorous
standardsfor identity, strength, quality, purity, and potency.
And the research shows that they work just
as well as the brand name.
And when it comes to
over-the-counter medications, the situation is no different. When you buy
Tylenol instead of generic acetaminophen or Advil instead of generic ibuprofen
or Reactine instead of generic cetirizine, what you’re really paying for is a
prettier package and perhaps a fancier looking pill.
Note: My wife, a
family physician, said there might be exceptions to this with certain
pharmaceuticals, so listen to your doctor.
5. Cookie Cutter Diet
And Exercise Programs
The internet abounds
with nutrition and fitness “experts” who are happy to sell you exercise
regimens and meal plans to
sculpt you into … something.
While there are
excellent online coaches, there are also nefarious, shady dealers. Some such
“coaches” just download workout programs and meal plans off the internet,
package it up pretty, then sell them to you like they were customized to your
specific needs for way too much money per month.
6. Supplements You
Don’t Need
The general rule regarding
dietary supplements is: “Unless you have a specific medical condition diagnosed
by your doctor — like a vitamin deficiency — you should stop wasting money on
these products.”
There can be a
performance exception, such as in the case of creatine for boosting strength,
power and other short-burst physical activities. But in the absence of a
diagnosed deficiency or other medical condition, supplements do nothing more
than create expensive pee. They won’t prolong your life and in some cases can shorten it.
I recommend against
visiting naturopaths and holistic nutritionists, who stand to profit greatly
from directly selling you a pile of unnecessary supplements. Rather, talk to
your MD, and utilize the unbiasedExamine.com to
look at the research regarding efficacy and safety of various supplements for
treating various conditions and deficiencies.
James S. Fell is a
syndicated fitness columnist for the Chicago Tribune and author of Lose It Right:
A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without
Losing Your Mind, published by Random House Canada. Visit his site at www.BodyForWife.com for a free weight
loss report. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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