Every time we open a health or fitness magazine we are bombarded with more ways to prevent cancer, lose weight and stress less.
One week, tomatoes cause hype because an allegedly prestigious study claims they “may” prevent cancer. Next week, the nutrients found in cayenne peppers are in the spotlight as the newly found cure. This month, Women’s Health Magazine reports daily chocolate consumption “may” reduce your risk of forming blood clots. Last month, they encouraged choosing fruit over the Hershey’s candy bar for dessert.
Why do we give magazines, like SELF, SHAPE, Fitness and Women’s Health this much power over our choices when they repeatedly contradict their own advice with each new issue? Additionally, their elaborate scientific research cannot confirm the supposed findings. For example, green tea “may” boost your metabolism? Are they suggesting it also “may” not?
College girls spend countless hours poring over multiple health and fitness magazines, probably while downing a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, hopelessly devoted to the fruitless (no pun intended) pursuit of keeping up with the latest research. Constant revisions are made to grocery lists and gym routines, because this month SELF Magazine purports Yoga Booty Ballet burns more calories and drinking Enviga energy drinks speeds up your metabolism. At this rate, I can already predict next month’s issue… underwater basket-weaving will be the calorie-burning craze and indulging in large, 800-calorie muffins “may” miraculously shed the muffin-top you see when squeezing into your jeans!
“It becomes a full-time job to keep up with every ‘flavor of the month’ food and exercise regime magazines like SHAPE suggest,” freshman Michelle Reyes says. “If I had the money and time to hire a full-time personal trainer and have a full-time chef to prepare healthy meals and keep up with the ever changing trends, I would look like Eva Longoria, too!” she said.
Michelle makes a good point, which brings me to my argument. In our desperate efforts to achieve health and stress less, are we not defeating our very goal by frantically trying to keep up with the eating and exercise habits du jour?
With magazines claiming diet and exercise variety is the key to weight loss and on the very next page say, “if you eat a Promise Activ SuperShot drinkable yogurt daily you would lower your LDL cholesterol by 10 percent,” have we not learned to take their advice with a grain of salt?
Instead, we wonder why we keep gaining weight and continue feeling increasingly overwhelmed.
Essentially, in our attempts to keep up with the health trends we defeat our very goal, reminding me of the popular artist Pink’s song lyrics: “I’m a hazard to myself. Don’t let me get me…I’m my own worst enemy.”
We are giving the fitness and health industry entirely too much undeserved power when we swoon over the latest findings, becoming sudden coffee aficionados because the latest study shows a daily dose of caffeine increases concentration and improves mood. To make matters worse, we purchase not only one fitness magazine but five! Imagine if we purchased five news magazines such as Time or Newsweek. God forbid we stray from our calorie-counting and cancer prevention to inform ourselves about the war in Iraq or the presidential candidates.
Is a magazine with an article titled, “Body Confidence At Any Age,” with another in the same issue, “How Kelly Ripa Stays Looking So Young!” credible?
In our instant gratification culture we reach for extremes and look for quick fixes in fitness and health magazines that offer conflicting advice. Repeatedly, we take the bait. If Women’s Health says eating chocolate reduces the risk of forming blood clots…let’s eat lots! If SELF Magazine swears a Bikrim Yoga class will allow a loss of three pounds in one session, count me in, even if it is only water weight I’m losing.
Maybe when we no longer obsess over fitness and health magazine recommendations, but instead focus on listening to ourselves and living life with the motto, “everything in moderation,” our healthiest selves will naturally evolve. So please, pass the chocolate, because I am going to eat a moderate portion of it regardless of whether or not it reduces my risk of blood clotting.
About the writer:
Sarah Cook is a sophomore dance and CCPA major. She can be reached at [email protected].
