Gimmick, Sales, and Wellness...

If you spend any time in New England during the winter months you will eventually find that most people in New England are desperate for some sort of reprieve from the cold, gloomy winter weather and by the time February rolls around the cold short days seemingly cannot be ignored any longer. With the absence of distractions like holiday parties, festive gatherings and seemingly endless gatherings revolving around heaping plates of fatty foods - leaves individuals clamoring for something to distract them from the cold short winter days. Cue the yearly self-proclaimed health and wellness gurus’ vociferous claims of ‘Buy this and look and feel 20 years younger’, ‘Buy this product and learn to manifest your destiny’, ‘The new fitness exercise that will get you looking like the trendiest influencer model’ or ‘Change your life in 3 weeks with these easy steps’. The makers of these products and programs imply a promise or sometimes outright claim that if you buy their product your frustrations, self-doubt and overall unhappiness will fade away into the distant past never to be seen again. If these products work so well then why do people spend billions of dollars each year on these gimmicks only to spend billions more the next year all over again? 

The truth is, and this might not come as a shocker to anyone, that those products and gimmicks do not deliver. The problem is not necessarily finding the perfect workout, diet plan, supplement or self-help book. The problem is that the products being offered are focused on symptoms and not the underlying issue. Generally, unlike what most gimmicky wellness industry messages proclaim, the problem is not the symptoms (feeling tired, not looking or feeling fit or feeling anxious or depressed), it is the individual's lack of knowing and focus on PERSONAL values. If something is in alignment with your personal values (empathy, adventure, compassion, ambition, family, respect to name a few) then the product or service would have an intrinsic value to you personally. In the end, if that product or service was in line with your values then your utilization of the product or service would become something you do willingly as it serves as a way to meet a more intrinsic and personal goal. So, the deep question to ask yourself when you come across one of these gimmicks or products is, ‘is the problem the gimmicks claim to solve actually a problem I have or is the gimmick’s claim not a true value of mine?’.

Think about this - if a person came up to you and said, ‘I have the solution to your weight problem and if you buy my product, it will fix your weight problem.’ Prior to meeting this individual, you never really thought much about your weight, but you did think a lot about why you have lost some of your motivation or excitement for life over the past several years. That product is going to do nothing to solve your issues with finding your motivation or feeling excited for life again. Instead, the problem the gimmick is trying to ‘solve’ becomes an added distraction to the reason you aren’t feeling the way you think you should be feeling. Now, the quest of fitting into someone else's external definition of what others say how you ‘should be’ for their financial gain, becomes your goal. This ends up supplanting your ability to look within yourself and see that you aren’t being allowed to live the values that you actually hold dear. Eventually, many individuals forget what their true values are and end up chasing happiness by seeking out the next wellness gimmick that comes along. Over and over again.

Now, this is not to say regular exercise, eating a balanced diet and getting quality sleep are not important pieces to general wellness. But they are just that, pieces of the wellness puzzle. And like any good puzzle focusing on one piece is not going to reveal your picture of wellness that you are trying to create. Focusing on what your values are, is the only way to find those edge pieces so you can begin filling in the rest of the puzzle pieces. As you start finding each new piece that fits with other pieces you start to develop that internal excitement and motivation to find that next piece that fits just right and then stepping back and marveling at the unique and beautiful picture that comes together

A serene view of a peaceful nature setting that promotes mental health.

David Poland, MS, LMHC, BS, AT, NSCA-CPT is a licensed psychotherapist in the states of MA, RI, and NH as well as a personal trainer and owner of Better Health Pro, LLC. Contact Dave Poland, MS, LMHC at Dave@BHPFitness.com or 401-203-5779 or go to BHPFitness.com to learn how Better Health Pro can help you. Also, follow @BHPFitness on Instagram for more tips and tricks about living your best life.