America's Obsession with Ab Machines

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The multi-million-dollar home abdominal machine infomercial market absolutely amazes me and proves how uneducated most of the public is about fat loss, nutrition, and spot reduction. If they come out with one more ab-roller, ab-tracker, ab-rocker, or ab-cruncher I’m going to flip. If you think an ab machine can transform your gut into washboard abs, look up the word “gullible” in the dictionary. Of course the infomercial models have sculpted abs but they didn’t get them from using a piece of plastic. It is virtually impossible to get those kind of abs with one device and a few minutes a day.

“As long as people will accept crap, it will be
financially profitable to dispense it.”
... Dick Cavett

I saw another famous infomercial guru hawking his “wonder machine” the other day. He wants you to believe his machine simulates six different exercises at once and that you can change your body remarkably in just three minutes a day. Then he hits you with all of the bells and whistles: Call now, and we will take off a whole payment. Call now and receive a slim down book. Lose a dress size in just 10 days. Thirty-day money back guarantee. This piece of plastic and metal costs over $200! What a steal! He’s stealing money from you!

Myth: You can lose the fat around your waist by doing
ab exercises.

Fact: You don’t lose fat in the areas where you work the
specific muscle. You lose fat when you expend more
calories than you take in. Fat is lost throughout the
body—not just in one place.

Here’s the scoop --- there’s no such thing as spot reduction! You can’t trim fat in specific areas of the body unless you have liposuction done. Exercising a particular muscle group will not make the fat around that muscle disappear. Exercise causes the release of such hormones as adrenaline into the bloodstream. In turn, these hormones travel through the bloodstream, stimulating fat release throughout the body. Any exercise device that promises you weight loss in only one targeted area is a fraud. The only thing it will trim is dollars from your wallet.

Everybody has a six-pack. The only problem is many of us hide it behind a thick layer of fat. The only way to see your six-pack is to get rid of that layer. The way to do this properly is to combine strength training and aerobic exercise with a low-fat, healthy diet. Why do I write? ……….to empower you……….knowledge is power. What you do with this knowledge is up to you!