Power Plate and other fads

Happy March! 😀

How is everyone doing? I hope you are all well and having a good start to the month.

A couple of days ago, a few friends and I were talking about diets, dieting, eating, all of that good stuff. After a lot of ideas and words were exchanged, I realized that there are so, so many fads and different “diets” on the market today.

No one knows what to do anymore!

For example, my friend mentioned that he heard that many vegetarians don’t believe it’s good to consume any food except fruit and fruit juice before noon. This may be true—who knows—but my common sense is telling me it’s not true.

No, I don’t believe that we need to consume a big breakfast that includes eggs and bacon, waffles and the like, but I do think starting one’s day on the right note is necessary for good health and a healthy metabolism.

I still root for unprocessed foods—I think eating as many whole, fresh foods as possible (in moderation, portions are key) is the key to a healthy life. My grandparents prove this to be true! Grandma is 96 and still sharp! (and many long-lived cultures—just Google “The Okinawan Way”). Oh, and staying active—very important to living a long life! If you don’t use it, you lose it!

Let’s talk about fads. There are so many gimmicks and fads in the exercise industry, and I am repulsed that people exploit others in the name of money.

Recently, I had the great opportunity (ha) to work out on the Power Plate. If you don’t know what this machine is, it’s an overpriced machine that vibrates somewhere between 20-60 times a second, and one performs various exercises on it.

Sounds great, eh? Madonna and various celebrities use it, so it must be a great tool! (Advocates of the Power Plate forget to include Madonna has been working out with weights for over 20 years, eats a meticulous diet, and probably exercises 2-4 hours a day, and most likely has had some help from Dr.Nip/Tuck)…

The Power Plate was a tough workout. I was sweating and feeling the “burn”. I did squats, lunges, isometric exercises, push-ups, and dips on the machine. The trainer told me about all the fabulous benefits of the machine, how it works out muscles in less time and it reduces cellulite by “flushing” away the fat.

I’m sure he knew that I am a trainer and that I am not idiot—this is a complete lie, as nothing can “flush” away cellulite. I wanted to laugh. I should have asked him point blank how exactly the vibration of the machine does this scientifically, but I decided to give him a break. The next day and for a few days after my work-out, my wrists were so sore they hurt when I drove, and my feet and knees hurt more than usual, even now, three weeks later (knees are better, thankfully, but my feet are still in pain).

If this machine can do this to me, an apparently healthy individual with no prior joint injuries, what can it do to someone who has experienced joint pain or hairline fractures? Yikes.

Stay away from such fads. All of them. All the hogwash including whatever latest diet is on the market, doing ridiculous workouts where you are balancing on one leg while lifting a kettle ball over your head…and if you ever have the opportunity…the Power Plate.

Keep it simple! Nothing works better than good ol’ exercise and a healthful diet!

Until next time!
Jeannette