5 Truths the Fitness Industry doesn't want you to know

Morning Guys, Hope you're well. Time to crack on with... Five Truths the Fitness Industry doesn't want you to know... 1. Magazine cover models do not look like that all year - Quite they opposite. Yes they maintain some level of gym-going and keep a vague eye on their nutrition, but to get 'cover-ready' (vomit), they go on a super-strict workout and diet plan. I know this as I did a photoshoot last year, and the week before, all I ate, five times a day, was salmon and broccoli. Seriously. Almost went mad. Was I happy with the results? Essentially yes (although my face looked a bit drained due to it leaning out too much). Would I do it again,? Highly unlikely. 2. Instagram is not real life - This follows on from point one, but now, with careful lighting, angles and ubiquitous filters, anyone can fake a perfect body - and even more disturbingly, a 'perfect' life. Instagram is fine if you keep it at arm's length, but it's very easy to fall down the rabbit hole and scroll and scroll and scroll and end up feeling a bit shit about your own life and body and situation. Just remember: it's not real - a massive red alert is the hashtag #blessed. 3. Steroid use is real and rife - This might be the most depressing one of all. The ease that you can get your hands on steroids is worrying in itself, as is the mindset that it's just part of what you do to get fit and build your body. NO. It's not. Again, the media has portrayed massive, super-pumped-up male bodies as the norm, so it's understandable that impressionable young men just starting out working on their bodies and mindset think it's the goal. In the words of the kids from Grange Hill (target reference) 'Just say no' - unless shrunken testicles and back acne (backne?) are also on your hit list. 4. Gyms rely on you NOT going - So prove them wrong! This is especially true of the budget gyms. "Oh it's only £25/month, I'll just keep it so I can use it when I want to" - but that's £300 a year you're throwing away. Versus investing in some online personal training - that you can do in the comfort and privacy of your own home, with goals, accountability, skin in the game and a PLAN to get you where you want to actually be. 5. You don't need to over-complicate it - The Fitness Industry LOVES the new, the next. But it doesn't need to be like that - actually, it's better for you to stick some blinkers on and get the basics right. For example, the big 'compound' moves (exercises where you use more than one muscle group across more than one joint) - squats, deadlifts, bench press., plus some proven interval training - oh alright, we'll use it's modern name, HIIT, and you'll all see good results. You certainly don't need that device you saw on an infomercial, whatever spurious claims the ad made. Any more I've missed? Let me know! Best wishes, Matt "bursting the bubble" Boyles