Maybe my observations are different from yours. The gyms I go to, the magazines people read, the enhancement products they buy, and the money they spend all point to a culture of extremes, influenced by the business of sports.
We’ve discussed the culture of consumption before, and I think it extends to physical workouts. People spend all kinds of money and put their hopes on supplements and products. But as you said, you don’t even need a gym, you just need discipline.
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Brian: Here, I will agree with you 100%. The business of sports is BIG business. I see this even in youth football, where parents will blow hundreds of dollars on Under Armor apparel, Nike shoes and the latest/greatest accessories (none of which improve Little Johnny’s playing ability one iota).
Same with GNC. I know plenty of guys who spend stupid amounts of money on supplements (most of which are snake oil) and vitamins, in the vain hope that this stuff will improve their “performance”. Like your buddy, who ballooned up to 250lbs, they’re missing the obvious: Healthy diet and a good exercise program will give you all the performance you need.
You’re also 100% correct about discipline, too. I had a football coach who preached the value of an exercise called “pushaways” (i.e. “push” your fat ass “away” from the table). Most people don’t like hearing that results take hard work, sacrifice and discipline, which is probably why most people stop going to the gym in February (after making that New Year’s resolution to work out regularly). Instead, they buy all of this other “miracle” crap as a substitute for the basics.
