Beware of easy.

I wish there was some magic pill.  I wish there was some miracle product.

I wish there was some neat little package you could receive in the mail that would be the answer to all of your health and fitness “problems”.

I wish there was, because I’d be first in line to buy it, or first in line to sell it.

But there’s not.

This time of year you will be bombarded with all kinds of information for health products.  There will be all kinds of things you suddenly need, or never knew you needed.

There will be all kinds of advertisements for weight loss pills; there will be infomercials with groundbreaking fitness products; there will be a magazine covers with seductively sweet secrets; there will be gurus with their patented solutions, there will be panels of experts discussing the latest supplement; there will be a celebrity with their current endorsement; there will be companies saying that they have finally found “it”.

Everyone is trying to sell you something.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Everyone is trying to make some money, or make a living.  It is possible, and likely, that some of them genuinely care.

The problem is that many of them don’t.  For the most part, they are more interested in their bottom line, not your health and fitness.

As Jon Goodman recently stated, is that “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”  Something to keep in mind whenever you encounter any information source that sells fitness equipment, supplements, or preaches one specific dietary or training approach.”  Of course their way is the right way; it’s their only way.

They bank on your desperation.  They count on you having tried other fixes.  Their strategy is playing up and playing on your “failures”.  Their punchlines are the false promises and failed results of other similar products.  They push you into picking up your phone or entering your credit card information one more time.

The substance of their advertisements stem from past promises, not miraculous breakthroughs.  Their science is sketchy, their methods unsubstantiated.  Their positions are nebulous, their premise negative.

“Are you sick and tired of… are you fed up… are you done with… are you ready for… have you heard about… then you have to…”

You’ve tried this, you’ve tried that, and they haven’t worked, now here’s mine.

It’s a cycle founded and fueled by failure and misinformation.  It keeps you coming back for more.

How can that fail?

Ultimately, there is a simple solution.  The magic pill does exist.

However the real solution is not a sexy one to market, and the pill is not an easy one to swallow.

• You’re going to have to work.
• You’re going to have to make some changes.
• You’re going to have to be uncomfortable.
• You’re going to have to set some real, timely, actionable, and appropriate goals.
• You’re going to have to follow a program that aligns itself with that goal(s).
• You’re going to have to exercise consistently.
• You’re going to have to improve the quality of what you put in your body.
• You’re going to have to focus on the quality of your sleep.
• You’re going to have to ask yourself and answer some tough questions.
• You’re going to have to take a good look at your lifestyle.
• You’re going to have to commit to long-term improvement.
• You’re going to have to be patient.
• You’re going to have to work harder.

None of those statements are sexy.  None of those are particularly marketable.  None of those look good in a television commercial.

You can’t buy them packaged in a pretty little box.  I wish you could.  I would buy it in bulk, and mark it up heavily.

But, all of those statements are effective, tried and true.  They may not be what you want to hear, but they are what you need to do.

Yes, you can do it.

Yes, it is worth it.

Commit to making small changes that will add up over time.  For example, commit to exercising consistently before worrying about what the best workout plan is.  Put down or don’t buy the bag of snacks before worrying about what your daily optimal protein or fat or carbohydrate intake should be.

Health and fitness is not a final destination.  There are no shortcuts.  There is no short-term, easy path to achieving what you want to achieve or looking how you want to look.

If you need help, find a trainer or coach who knows a thing or two and will help hold you accountable.  Reach out to those who’ve been there or are going through it now.

Especially this time of year, beware of the easy way out.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.