In this chapter… Activity 1 - Human Kinetics

Making Consumer

Choices

15

260 Fitness for Life

In this chapter¡­

Activity 1

Continuous Rhythmical Exercise

Lesson 15.1

Health and Fitness Quackery

Self-Assessment

Reassessing Body Composition,

Flexibility, and Strength

Lesson 15.2

Evaluating Health Clubs, Equipment,

Media, and Internet Materials

Taking Charge

Learning to Think Critically

Self-Management Skill

Learning to Think Critically

Activity 2

Active Learning: Isometric Exercise

Circuit

Activity 1

Continuous Rhythmical

Exercise

Continuous Rhythmical Exercise (CRE)

was invented by Dr. Thomas Cureton at

the University of Illinois. He wanted to

develop an exercise program that would

build many parts of health-related fitness, including cardiovascular fitness,

flexibility, and muscular fitness, as well

as to help control body fatness. CRE

involves doing flexibility and muscle fitness exercises with continuous motion

(for cardiovascular fitness) between

exercises. You will try a sample program

that lasts about 10 minutes. You can

repeat this program or develop one of

your own.

Lesson

15.1

Health and Fitness

Quackery

Lesson Objectives

After reading this lesson, you should be able to

1. Explain the importance of being an informed

health consumer.

2. Name reliable sources of health-related and

fitness-related information.

3. Name and describe examples of health and fitness misconceptions and quackery.

Lesson Vocabulary

con (p. 261), fraud (p. 261), passive exercise (p. 263),

quack (p. 261), quackery (p. 261)

student/15/1

You probably have seen and heard newspaper, magazine, radio, and television advertisements for health and

fitness products and services. Is a product or service

effective simply because it is advertised? In this lesson,

you will learn how to become a wise consumer, or purchaser, of health and fitness products.

What Is Quackery?

Some people are in a hurry to lose body fat or gain

muscle strength. Often, people who want quick results

are persuaded to purchase useless health and fitness

products and services. They may become victims of

quackery. Quackery is a method of advertising or selling that uses false claims to lure people into buying

products that are worthless or even harmful. Some

people who practice quackery actually believe that the

products that they are selling do work. They may have

good intentions but still do harm. A person who practices quackery is sometimes referred to as a quack.

Some people who practice quackery are guilty of

fraud. People who practice fraud try to deceive you and

get you to buy products or services that they know are

ineffective or harmful. A person who practices fraud is

called a con. Cons try to convince you of something

that is untrue. Because what they do is often illegal,

they may be convicted of a crime.

Detecting Quackery and Fraud

People who commit quackery and fraud use a variety of

deceptive practices to get you to buy their products or

services or use products they endorse. Separating fact

from fiction can be difficult. Use the guidelines in the

following section to help you spot health and fitness

quackery and fraud.

Check Credentials

Be sure that the person you think is an expert really is an

expert. A con might claim to be a doctor or to have a college or university degree. However, the degree might be in

a subject unrelated to health and physical fitness. It might

come from a nonaccredited school, or it might be falsified.

You can verify credentials by checking with your local or

state health authorities or professional organizations.

If you have questions about health or fitness, be sure

to ask an expert¡¯s advice. For medical advice, talk to a

physician (MD or DO) or a registered nurse (RN). For

questions about general health, ask a certified health

education teacher. A physical educator, a person with at

least a bachelor¡¯s degree in exercise science or kinesiology, or a registered physical therapist (RPT) is qualified

to advise you about exercise and fitness. These experts

have college degrees and training in their area of specialization.

A registered dietitian (RD) is best qualified to advise

you about diet, food, and nutrition. Keep in mind that

a person who uses the title nutritionist is not necessarily an expert. Similarly, staff members in health clubs

are often not required to have college degrees. Those

members with certifications from a well-respected organization are more qualified than those without certifications, but certification without a degree is not adequate

to be considered an expert. Neither nutritionists nor

health club employees are considered reliable sources of

health or fitness information unless they have the credentials just described.

Be Wary of Advisors Who Sell Products

People who sell products make money by selling them.

Salespeople often have little training in health, fitness,

and wellness. For example, people who sell exercise

equipment or food supplements may know less about

their products than their customers. Salespeople are

often willing to stretch the truth to make a sale. It is

best to consult a true expert before you make purchases.

Check the Organizations of the

Experts You Consult

Many well-known and reputable associations for qualified doctors, fitness experts, and nutrition experts exist.

15. Making Consumer Choices

261

Examples of well-established and legitimate organizations are the American Medical Association (AMA), the

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American

Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation

and Dance (AAHPERD), and the American College

of Sports Medicine (ACSM). These organizations are

either government groups charged with protecting your

health (USDA, FDA, and CDC) or private organizations of experts including teachers and coaches, medical doctors, college professors, and researchers with

advanced degrees (AAHPERD, AMA, and ACSM).

Quacks and cons sometimes try to get you to believe

that they know more than the experts from these organizations. Be wary of people who claim they know more

than well-known experts and who try to discredit the

organizations just listed.

Sometimes quacks and cons use names and initials

of phony organizations with important sounding

names similar to well-known organizations. Anyone

can form an organization and use it to try to impress

you. Check the background of anyone who claims to

be a member of an organization whose name you have

never heard.

Be Wary of Those Who Promise

Immediate Results

Be suspicious if a salesperson promises immediate,

effortless, or guaranteed results.

Be Suspicious of Sales Pitches That

Promise Results Too Good to Be True

Look for words and phrases such as miracle, secret

remedy, scientific breakthrough, and endorsed by movie

stars. A quack or con is likely to use these and similar

terms in a sales pitch for an item that is useless.

Be Cautious About Mail-Order

and Internet Sales

Be cautious of mail-order and Internet sales offers.

You cannot examine mail-order and Internet products

before buying them. Money-back guarantees may seem

to protect you, but a guarantee is only as good as the

company that backs it. Do business only with reputable

firms.

student/15/2

Be Wary of Product Claims

A favorite trick of some cons is to claim that a product

is ¡°brand-new¡± or is just now being offered for the first

time. Others may claim to be ¡°available in the United

262 Fitness for Life

States for the first time.¡± They try to make you think

that you are getting something special. Claims made by

cons are typically false.

Be Wary of Untested Products

Quacks do not subject their products to thorough

scientific testing. The product is rushed on the market

in order to make money as quickly as possible. Also,

quacks and cons try to get you to believe their product

is popular in Europe, Asia, or some other location.

This technique is usually used to impress you. One

way to tell whether a product or service is a good

one is when it is supported by good research. Good

research is published in respected journals and conducted by qualified experts. Using untested products

can pose significant risks for a consumer. Journals of

the organizations described earlier are good sources of

scientific research.

Health Quackery

Many people are willing to try new health products.

In fact, the market is flooded with health products,

many of which are useless. Although some of these

products may not be harmful, false advertising claims

give people unrealistic expectations about the benefits

these products can provide. Be aware that many advertisers promote myths about health and fitness. You

can recognize health quackery when advertisers make

unrealistic claims about a product. Examples include

claims that a product will promote hair growth, cure

acne, make wrinkles disappear, or remove cellulite (fat

tissue).

Food Supplements

A food supplement is a product that is not a part of

the typical diet but is added to the regular diet. Supplements often are produced as syrups, powders, or tablets. Generally, they are sold in health food stores or

through the mail. Common supplements are protein

(amino acids), vitamins, minerals, and herbs. Packaged

FITfacts

Cellulite is a term that is often used for fat that

causes the skin to look rippled or bumpy. Cons would

have you believe that cellulite is a special kind of fat

that can be eliminated with creams or other special

products. In fact, cellulite occurs when fat cells become enlarged. It is best reduced by expending more

calories than you consume.

foods such as canned goods (e.g., canned vegetables and

fruits), boxed goods (e.g., cereal, cake mix), and frozen

foods (e.g., ice cream, frozen dinners) must have a

food label that informs you of the product¡¯s ingredients

(see chapter 14). Such labels are not required of food

supplements.

Most Americans believe that food supplements are

regulated by the government in the same way as drugs and

foods. This is not true. A law passed in 1994 changed the

regulation of supplements from government control to

manufacturer control. Manufacturers do not have to prove

that a supplement works before they sell it, and the law

does not regulate the contents of a supplement. For this

reason, you cannot be sure that you are buying what you

think you are buying when you purchase a supplement.

More than a few people have died from taking supplements that were contaminated or contained ingredients

that were not supposed to be in the supplement. Also

many illnesses and even deaths have occurred when people

have taken supplements claiming to result in fat loss or

performance enhancement. An example is the herb

ephedra that has been implicated in several deaths. It is

now banned by the FDA.

Some supplements are not harmful but simply do

not provide the benefits promised by those who sell

them. Since the regulation of supplements was changed

in 1994, the sales of supplements have more than doubled. Many people are wasting money on products that

do not work.

Some supplements can be beneficial when recommended by a physician. For example, the AMA suggests that taking a daily multivitamin can be beneficial

if it includes no more than the RDA for each

vitamin. But even vitamins can be dangerous if

taken in amounts that are too large. Vitamins

and minerals that are not harmful typically provide no benefits when taken in larger than recommended amounts. It is especially important

to consult with your parent or guardian as well

as your family physician before taking supplements. You can find more information about

supplements at the Web site below.

are actually quack products. Many supplements can be

harmful to health.

Fad Diets

¡°Lose pounds a day on the ice-cream diet!¡± ¡°Rice diet

works wonders!¡± ¡°Fruit diet dissolves fat!¡± How many

similar weight-loss claims have you heard? Each claim

is false and an example of a fad diet. Although fad diets

are popular because they usually promise fast results,

nearly all fad diets are nutritionally unbalanced. They

often restrict eating to only one or two food groups, or

even one specific food. As you have learned, a combination of physical activity and eating fewer calories is the

only safe, effective way to reduce body fatness and lose

weight. Eating healthy, low-calorie foods such as those

being eaten by the teens in the picture can help you

control your calorie intake.

Fitness Quackery

Many useless products are being sold to promote fitness. For example, you may have seen advertisements

for thigh creams to reduce fat in the thighs. Such claims

are a myth. These creams do not reduce body fat. Also

be alert for the following worthless fitness devices and

methods.

Exercise Programs

Programs that use passive exercise are ineffective

because, instead of using your own muscles, they use

machines or other outside forces to move your body.

student/15/3

Sport Supplements

A current fad is the use of sport supplements

or sport vitamins¡ªproducts sold to enhance

athletic performance. As described in chapter

12, these supplements are also called ergogenic

aids. Many supplements sold as ergogenic aids

Eating healthy will provide you with the proper nutrients.

15. Making Consumer Choices

263

A variety of devices provide passive

exercises. For example, rollers are

machines that roll along your hips or

legs. Vibrating machines shake body

areas and are said to break up fat

cells. Motorized belts, cycles, tables,

and rowing machines are advertised

for fat reduction and weight loss.

These claims are false.

Figure Wrapping

Wearing nonporous garments and

soaking in baths are often advertised

for weight loss. These practices can

cause overheating and dehydration

and can be extremely dangerous to

your health.

FITNESS Technology

You learned in previous chapters about many technological innovations

that make our lives better. Some help us to assess fitness and health

accurately (e.g., DEXA) as well as help us exercise (e.g., isokinetic

exercise machines). However, not all technological devices are safe

and effective. Some unscrupulous people sell devices that are not only

ineffective but also can be quite dangerous. One example is a device

with electrodes that are placed on your abdominal muscles. Electrical

current is sent through the electrodes, causing the muscles to be stimulated. People who advertise these devices claim that they build strong

abdominal muscles without doing any regular abdominal exercises such

as crunches or curl-ups. Studies show that these devices do not work to

build fitness, and the current from the electrodes can cause the heart

to beat irregularly. Be wary of devices that promise fitness without

exercise.

Spot Reducing

An unqualified fitness instructor

might recommend spot exercises. Spot exercising refers

to doing an exercise to remove fat in a specific location.

Research shows that no type of exercise will cause fat

loss at one specific location. You can do spot exercises

to strengthen muscles in a certain part of the body, but

they do not remove fat at that location. Physical activity

does help reduce fat all over the body.

Reaching Goals Safely

Attaining health and fitness goals takes planning and

time. No diet, product, or exercise program can work

magic. Recognizing myths and misconceptions, such

as those described here, can help you save your money

and your health. Education is the best safeguard against

quackery. In the next chapter you will learn how to set

goals and plan your personal physical activity program.

264 Fitness for Life

FITfacts

It is possible to lose a lot of weight in a short period

of time as a result of dehydration. If you do not drink

enough fluid or you lose excessive water through

sweating, you will become dehydrated and lose water

weight. Some people think this loss in weight is permanent. It is not. Losing water weight can be dangerous (see discussion of heat-related illness in chapter

2). Products that cause water loss do not help you

lose body fat and can be dangerous to your health.

Lesson Review

1. Why is learning to recognize quackery and fraud

important?

2. To whom should you direct questions about

health and fitness?

3. What are two examples of health-related or

fitness-related quackery?

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