Avoid buying into empty fitness marketing:
Becoming a mindful consumer is more than just scanning the ingredients list on the back of a new superfood. It’s about being able to make mindful decisions for you without letting the marketing get the best of you. So many products and plans in the health industry promise the fountain of youth, the perfect bikini body in 30 days, but it’s up to you to decode the marketing and make the best choice.
Marketing is designed to strike a connection with the consumer and use verbiage and images to romanticize a product or method for us where we feel like we have found the ONE solution we have been looking for.
First off, there is no ONE solution for everyone when it comes to diet, fitness, or anything health-related. All of us are unique and have unique needs. I know I hate to burst your quick-fix bubble. If we know this, somehow, we still are ready to believe that what we connect with within an advertisement is just for us. It speaks to us; we believe it and bam, just like that they got us -we’re sold!
What was it? It could have been that the model resembled your ideal body type or the model looked so happy which you desire to feel inside. What really is happening is that we have just fallen “in love” with marketing. We find some connection that speaks to us and bam we are intrigued and often excited about what the product or exercise method promises us! It’s the “in love” part that speaks to so many of our own deep desires or underlying insecurities we so wish to change but don’t know how to. But that’s ok! This is where we desperately get to become more aware and mindful of what we are after. The more you are aware of the connection between the marketing and you- the more you will become a mindful consumer!
There is a lack of skepticism on the general public’s part when it comes to marketing around aesthetics and fitness products or programs. If we knew more about how complex the human body is, or even the basics of body composition, we would be more skeptical indeed of these quick fixes. But most of us are not informed of the basics; therefore, we keep buying into trends, superfoods, programs, and more to seek the results we want. Without educating ourselves first, we are relying on marketing to educate us.
For example with exercise methods, we “fall in love” with the results that are shown to us through products using fitness models and celebrities. Our hopes are high and connecting the visual dots between the product and model increases our desire to start that program or get that product. Using this example, we are not being educated as to what different exercise methods are and what results they could bring us if we are at all consistent with them. For any change to occur, consistency is KEY no matter what you do. The majority of the general public is misinformed about Yoga, Pilates, HIIT, CrossFit, Barre, and even Bootcamps to name a few modalities due to all having marketing that can misinform the consumer about desired results.
We do a lot of assuming based on marketing and need to know what kinds of exercise provide certain results. This is because marketing keeps us seeking and chasing the image or idea that is being sold to us. So what do we do to become more of a mindful consumer?
Be Aware of Marketing
Become aware of what it is in the marketing that draws you to it. Then once you identify that, you can pinpoint what about the marketing speaks to your goal (lose weight, be happier, move well), more specifically, and plan accordingly. You can become more skeptical due to the awareness of marketing once you encounter more misleading tactics through advertising. That’s good! Anything you put in your body or put your body through it’s ok to be skeptical! You only have one body, so what you put in it and how you move it matters!
Research Products
You can dig into almost anything online these days. Published Studies are all over the internet as well as anecdotal accounts. Remember to consult your healthcare provider to ensure any health supplement is approved before taking it. Read all the ingredients and research those that you don’t know. If you’re looking for a conditioning program that is a good fit for your goal, remember no results will happen without consistency. So no matter what you choose, make sure it’s something that is realistic and in line with your fitness goals.
You are on your way to becoming a mindful consumer! Keep in mind your body is your best coach. The more in tune you are with it; the better off you will be in choosing the right products or modalities for it. Don’t let marketing cloud your mind-body connection and ability to make the right decision for your unique body.