WHY I HATE CELEBRITY FITNESS DVDs

There is little doubt that we live in a celebrity obsessed world, the popularity of the ‘characters’ from reality TV shows is testament to this.  As is the huge numbers of people who follow them on social media and are seemingly more intent on watching them live their lives rather than live their own!

 

In line with this growing celebrity obsession has been the rise of the celebrity fitness DVD.

Now please do not get me wrong I am not against these DVDs per se. In many ways I am quite positive towards them. After all, they provide people with an exercise routine that can be performed at home with very little equipment, thus breaking down some of the barriers which prevent people from exercising (expensive gym membership and expensive equipment). So in that sense they are great. They are also short in length which fits in with most people’s lifestyles and often expertly taught by excellent personal trainers.

So, all good there then.

He's normally so positive, what’s he complaining about I hear you say.

Well…my major complaint concerns the way in which they are marketed, especially the DVD covers. I appreciate they have to be eye catching but more often than not they are damn right deceitful.

Many show a ‘before’ and ‘after’ shot of a particular celebrity with the ‘before’ shot being taken of the unsuspecting celebrity in an unflattering pose, normally wearing a bikini whilst relaxing on their summer holidays. And surprise, surprise the ‘after’ shot is taken in a professional studio, using the best lighting with the celebrity adopting the most flattering pose possible, and hey presto giving the impression of the most incredible fat loss imaginable.

And another thing... 

Another bugbear of mine is the intonation that the celebrities have solely followed the exercise programmes on the DVD to help them achieve their new svelte-like body. To the trained eye it is glaringly obvious that they have obviously undergone some form of additional training for a sustained period, almost certainly performed under the supervision of a knowledgeable personal trainer!

Oh, and another thing... 

And finally my last complaint is the misinformed views of the viewer. I often hear people say ‘oh celebrity X has the most a-maz-ing body, just look at her on the front of the DVD'. Now I have already spoken about the magic of the camera and how, given the right lighting and the correct pose (and dare I mention airbrushing?) can all combine to give the impression of the most dramatic body transformation!

But what must also be made clear is that the celebrities are not (to coin a phrase used in boxing) ‘walking around’ at that weight all year round as people often think.

Much like a boxer preparing to lose weight for an upcoming bout, so does the celebrity in preparation for filming the DVD; and I am sure with the pressure they are under to look ‘good’ some these weight loss methods will be extreme and unsustainable (unlike the nutrition advice given on the DVD itself!)

And once again, much like a boxer puts on weight after a fight, you can bet your bottom dollar so does the celebrity once filming has finished!

So what’s my point?

Use celebrity fitness DVD’s as a tool to motivate you to exercise in the comfort of your own home, they are great for this, but do not be surprised if your ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos are not so impressive!

Thanks for reading.

Matt

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