Comments on Cranky Fitness: Beware the Infomercial

It was an informercial that started me on my journ...

2009-08-31T05:54:38.212-04:00

It was an informercial that started me on my journey of fitness and eating properly. I was sitting in my living room putting on my make up - distressed because I was frustrated at being put on anxiety medication that zapped the life out of me and added 50 lbs. I saw a Firm informercial. I ordered it, got it, began and could only do about 10 minutes of the workout - kept at it, in a year and a half I lost 82 lbs got off my meds and now I am very active, I run, take karate, and lift heavy weights. I maintain my weight stay active and am in my 50's - I wouldn't knock anything that gets someone off the couch :)

TOO FUNNY! last night, I watched the ENTIRE HALF H...

2009-08-30T22:55:29.942-04:00

TOO FUNNY! last night, I watched the ENTIRE HALF HOUR of the golden country classic hits infomercial for time/life. yes, i actually though i needed it once i saw that johnny cash was on it. nevermind that i can download his songs on itunes or whereever else. i don't even know what captivated me, to be honest. i don't like country. i don't like country from the 50's and 60's. so why? i don't know. it was a pretty darned good infomercial if it had me at "ring of fire."
ps. didn't buy it. no worries.

I would love to see the "Ultimate Infomercial prod...

2009-08-30T12:32:56.471-04:00

I would love to see the "Ultimate Infomercial product and commercial.
Take some too thin metal tubing, plastic parts, cables that become twisted and frayed, ultra cheap vinyl covering, a 20 DVD set to follow along with the "system", female dancers using the equipment for 10 minutes 3 days a week while doing high pulls with a 5 pound KB, A CD of crappy workout music, testimonials from women about the weight loss, muscle toning, sexual increases, natural appetite suppressing benefits and toss it all into a box making it all available for a lifetime of easy monthly payments through a special credit card offered by the company selling the stuff.
Hey! Where do I sign up!

LOL! My friend has gotten sucked in to every work ...

2009-08-30T09:53:15.117-04:00

LOL! My friend has gotten sucked in to every work out infomercial out there... Turbo Jam, PX90 or whatever... it's almost entertaining to see what she'll buy next. I'll just stick to running personally.

You mean that if I buy that thing that looks like ...

2009-08-29T23:09:37.892-04:00

You mean that if I buy that thing that looks like a mix between modern art and a mideval device for bad guys to use won't make me fit in just 6 minutes with little or no effort?

Well burst my bubble.

But I can't help watching the commercials... They are so fun to watch where the people seem excited to the point they may faint at any moment.

And Remember that it's all about "no effort" at Foolsfitness!- Alan

Sounds like I'm not the only one who was raised wi...

2009-08-29T08:42:20.302-04:00

Sounds like I'm not the only one who was raised with the "don't buy it off the TV" rule.

But it's great to hear there are some success stories out there too!

The thing that's great is that none (absolutely no...

2009-08-29T07:01:12.811-04:00

The thing that's great is that none (absolutely none) of the models get that way by using the equiptment. Besides, none of them do it for only 20 minutes per day on that machine alone. It's silly, but it plays into all of our wants...look great with little effort. So funny. (It took me a LONG time to not be sucked in too!)

Shelley, I loved the Gazelle. It's the only piece...

2009-08-28T22:40:29.326-04:00

Shelley, I loved the Gazelle. It's the only piece of exercise equipment I've bought off an infommercial, and it was actually really good quality and fun to use. Very sturdy too - I was nearly 300 pounds when I got it and my husband was 325 or so, and it felt really solid. It was a good machine for getting me to move and gaining stamina so that I could move up to going to the gym. Owned it for about 2 years, and the only reason I got rid of it was that I was moving 3,000 miles away and didn't want to pay to move it. Got a gym membership instead. But I'm one of those people who loves going to the gym.

Most of these commercials I can watch and laugh at...

2009-08-28T18:05:23.260-04:00

Most of these commercials I can watch and laugh at. Can see the flaws.

But -is it the Perfect PullUp?? The one with the moving bar so you do inverted pull ups? Every time I see that commercial I yearn for one. And they sell them at my local Tarjay-where I can talk myself out of them.

What is it with these contraptions?

I bought the step system from Jane Fonda waaaayyyy...

2009-08-28T17:21:01.767-04:00

I bought the step system from Jane Fonda waaaayyyyy back-when. This was before they started popping up in stores and gym step-classes. I really liked it although I thought it was over-priced. I became really sick of the video's music and the instructors' peppy phrases and pep-talks. I finally sold the teal-and-pink things at a yard sale last year (I threw in the videos...leg-warmers and all...for free).

I was thinking just as Leah said. There is a chain...

2009-08-28T16:37:38.348-04:00

I was thinking just as Leah said. There is a chain of these "As Seen On TV" stores where you can buy many of the infomercial products. I have friends who are on their third Silver Bullet? Why did they need three in just a few years? Because they're crappy. Why did they keep buying them? Who knows?

Nope.. never been tempted.

My favorite infomercial:the Hawaii Chair. For a go...

2009-08-28T16:15:40.109-04:00

My favorite infomercial:the Hawaii Chair. For a good laugh, watch Ellen Degeneres test it out on Youtube.

Gazelle, don't get the sham-wow. From personal ac...

2009-08-28T15:03:03.219-04:00

Gazelle, don't get the sham-wow. From personal accounts of friends who own it an this video, it is no good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uONnbrD59Lo

Nah, I've never bought anything off of an infomercial.

I have bought products from Beachbody and, for the...

2009-08-28T11:47:16.195-04:00

I have bought products from Beachbody and, for the most part, have been very happy with them. I also, about 5 years ago, bought the Supreme Pilates, kind of a modified reformer/tower. I used it often and liked it a lot, but then we move to a smaller place and I had nowhere to put it. I also started using a REAL reformer, and have probably outgrown my little home version.
But, having said that, most of the products sold on TV are junk.

I've watched friends buy fitness equipment from in...

2009-08-28T11:30:50.735-04:00

I've watched friends buy fitness equipment from informercials and borrowed it, just to be sure that it was as bad as I assumed. (They always were.) But once, many years ago I made a purchase myself. I bought an Ab Slide. I loved it then and I still love it now.

And apparently I am so excited about my DVDs that ...

2009-08-28T11:07:22.546-04:00

And apparently I am so excited about my DVDs that I can't even spell TOTALLY.

I've never bought fitness equipment, but I am the ...

2009-08-28T11:06:50.645-04:00

I've never bought fitness equipment, but I am the happy owner of the Magic Bullet (does everything in the in the kitchen in FIVE MINUTES OR LESS), which also happens to be my favorite infomercial - and one that I will actually watch on purpose.

I really, really want a Sham Wow thing, too, but I am resisting.

Oooh - and once, late at night, I bought these things that you put on your feet that is supposed to draw the toxins out of your body through the feet & make you healthier. I've never used them, so I can't tell you if they work.

if a product is only sold only on TV, you must not...

2009-08-28T11:06:22.831-04:00

if a product is only sold only on TV, you must not buy it. If it was really any good they would sell it in regular stores.

Hey! Are we related? Because I TOTALL got that from my parents!

That said, I forked out good money for some Turbo Jam DVDs, and I must admit that I LOVE them. Unfortunately for the BeachBody company though, other people did NOT love them, and so instead of paying full price on the BeachBody website I now get mine for (much, MUCH) cheaper off of Amazon or half.com.

But I still love them.

I used to want that Gazelle thing that the guy wit...

2009-08-28T10:59:11.154-04:00

I used to want that Gazelle thing that the guy with the ponytale was selling - it looked like so much fun! But deep down I knew it was probably all rickety and wouldn't hold up my weight. Just as well...I didn't need to spend that money anyway.

No, I haven't actually bought anything from a TV c...

2009-08-28T10:48:05.299-04:00

No, I haven't actually bought anything from a TV commercial.
Yet.

I have a confession to make: I actually willingly ...

2009-08-28T10:29:01.935-04:00

I have a confession to make: I actually willingly watch these infomercials. (When there's nothing on that I really want to watch.)

They serve as a type of motivation. I watch and Believe when the announcer drills into my head over and over again that (this) Exercise Will Make Me Thin! And Tan! Not forgetting, of course, the white teeth.

Plus, the models on these things seem to have access to the most amazingly strong Prozac.

The AB FLEX (d'mamma & I are totally sisters from ...

2009-08-28T10:07:27.703-04:00

The AB FLEX (d'mamma & I are totally sisters from another mister. in myriad ways)

yes.

I forked out cash for the FLEX.

and liked it.

until I realized that LIKE had nothing to do with my actually motivating to use it.

my FLEX? now happily owned and not being use by one of my editors.

I haven't bought infomercial exercise equipment, b...

2009-08-28T09:39:13.248-04:00

I haven't bought infomercial exercise equipment, but I've bought three items of kitchen equipment and I have to say, I use them all the time! The one is starting to fall apart after 5 years, but the others are still going strong!

What is fascinating now is the chain of mall store...

2009-08-28T09:29:01.541-04:00

What is fascinating now is the chain of mall stores that feature the "as seen on TV!" crap. You actually get to feel this stuff up in a store first. One can see why it sells so cheap.

I usually go here for fitness equipment reviews ht...

2009-08-28T09:24:35.413-04:00

I usually go here for fitness equipment reviews http://www.exercise-equipment-review.com/ and I go here for new fangled diets on the market reviews http://www.chasefreedom.com/