"Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
The Truth About Three Common Industry Terms
After almost two decades of being in the health/fitness/bodybuilding industry in one form or another, as trainer, writer, consultant, or what have you, I have heard all the catchy industry terms that are used to sell supplements, diets, and exercise plans to people. Some really stick in my craw as the old expression goes. I think of them all, these three below never seem to go away and exasperate me every time I hear or see them. In no particular order, here's my three least favorite industry terms people have heard,read, or said at one time or another:
"I Just Want To Tone And Firm"
There's no such thing as "toning and firming." How can that be you ask? I will tell you. Your body has no idea -or specific mechanism-for "toning and firming." You can gain or lose fat and you can gain or lose muscle. That's it. Those are essentially your choices based on biological reality when trying to alter your body composition. Now, if you lose some fat and gain some muscle, you will be more "toned" in appearance and "firm" to the touch, but the body does not know from toning and firming, and that's a fact.
Thus, your goal should be to lose fat (not just weight!) and gain, or at least maintain, muscle, and find the balance between those two that make you happy. People who focus on weight loss only often end up a smaller version of their former selves, often flabby and with high bodyfat levels. They are neither "toned" in appearance or "firm" to the touch. Why? Because they made the mistake of focusing on the wrong goals of weight loss and "toning and firming" versus what actually matters: losing fat and gaining muscle. They end up in the "skinny fat" category where they may wear a small dress size/pant size, but can actually be clinically obese due to their high bodyfat levels...bad mojo...
Telling people they need to lose fat and gain muscle to achieve the body they want does not sell diets, supplements, and exercise programs to people; it's not catchy or sexy, but the generic term "toning and firming" sounds perfect for selling all of the above.
My articles, seminars, books, ebooks, etc. have always focused on that key message of what actually matters once you strip away the annoying industry terms: fat loss and/or gaining muscle when one wants to alter their body composition for the better.
"All Natural"
I just hate this term! It means nothing at all yet people seem to fall for it virtually every time. Flying is not "natural" to humans, yet we do it all the time. Uranium is natural, do you want to eat the stuff? Of course not! All manner of life saving medical procedures are not natural, but will save your life. The point is, "natural" is an irrelevant ambiguous term. We can come up with a long list of both "natural" and "unnatural" behaviors we humans engage in constantly, some times to our benefit and some times to our detriment, but the term "natural" has no value in a logical/science based conversation when discussing nutrition, human health, supplements, etc. When you see it being used in some supplement ad, ignore it.
"You Don't Need Supplements"
This another non starter for me as it lacks any internal logic, and suffers similar pitfalls of the "all natural" statements. We don't "need" clothing, but it sure comes in handy in cold weather, we don't "need" TV, but most people seem to enjoy them, we don't "need" Novocain, but it sure comes in handy when having a cavity filled, we don't "need"...well you get the point and see where this is going. We don't "need" a lot if things in this life we use, enjoy, and benefit from. Does one "need" supplements? Of course not.
Let me qualify that statement: does a person need any supplements to achieve the basic goal of either adding muscle or losing fat? No, no they don't. Can supplements help the process? Can supplements potentially speed up the process? Can supplements potentially offset some of the negatives? Can supplements help optimize the effects of exercise and diet? The answer is yes in all cases. The problem, however, is that I see far too many people under the impression that the next wiz bang "cutting edge" supplement is going to make some huge difference to their appearance while their diet and workout are put on the back burner or set low on the priority list. They are constantly looking for that one supplement that's going to make all the difference while they ignore their nutrition and training! I see it all the time and frankly, it's frustrating.
But I digress!
The term "you don't need supplements" is often part of a longer statement, which is "you don't need supplements if you have a good diet" as if the two were mutually exclusive. Why can't you do both? That's what I do. Supplements are not an excuse to have a poor diet, and no matter how perfect you think your diet is, various supplements can add benefits (ergo, the term "supplement" as in "supplemental to a good diet.") to any diet, and some supplements can have effects/benefits beyond what any diet can supply. So, the term "need" in the context of supplements is without any merit and worthless. People should always strive to have a healthy diet, and should feel no guilt over adding various supplements to that diet that may have additional benefits.
Rant off! ;)
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Haha so true! 110% agreed!
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Will
"I Just Want To Tone And Firm"
There's no such thing as "toning and firming." How can that be you ask? I will tell you. Your body has no idea -or specific mechanism-for "toning and firming." You can gain or lose fat and you can gain or lose muscle. That's it. Those are essentially your choices based on biological reality when trying to alter your body composition. Now, if you lose some fat and gain some muscle, you will be more "toned" in appearance and "firm" to the touch, but the body does not know from toning and firming, and that's a fact.
Thus, your goal should be to lose fat (not just weight!) and gain, or at least maintain, muscle, and find the balance between those two that make you happy.
Good point. I didn't know this, and I hadn't really thought about this before. I always say I want to 'tone-up", but I guess what I really want is to lose fat and build more muscle - so that I appear tighter and "firm" (as you put it).
Oh, and you and your damn smiley faces - always one at the end of every post. I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em? ;D Haha!
Thanks for posting!8) (< another one, just for good measure).
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
4everresolutions
Good point. I didn't know this, and I hadn't really thought about this before. I always say I want to 'tone-up", but I guess what I really want is to lose fat and build more muscle - so that I appear tighter and "firm" (as you put it).
That about sums it up...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
4everresolutions
Oh, and you and your damn smiley faces -
Don't be hatin' }:D::):O:P8)
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
I think toning and firming came about to encourage women to exercise at a time that fitness for women was considered not feminine. Toning was a euphemism for building muscle and firming stood in for losing fat. Women understood this on a subconscious level, but felt more feminine when hitting the gym and developing a healthy glow of perspiration. Otherwise, women would have avoided exercise as being too manly. Heck, when my mom was in high school the girls athelitic department offered only tennis and equestrian arts as the ladies sports.
All natural is implied that the athlete doesn't use steroids.
I've never seen a supplement offer the kind of results that steroid use does. It is not unlike a person working her whole life to get rid of those saddlebags on her thighs with little result. But a couple hours in the plastic surgeon's office getting liposuction achieves results that no amount of diet or exercise could.
I see supplements as kind of a waste of money. Some offer great benefits, but others are just being peed out, useless to the person that took it. The ones that show real benefit are protein powders, Tonalin CLA, ALA, DHEA. A multivitamin supplement with low doses, like a child's formula, are good in moderation. Other supplements can be effective if taken for a specific purpose, for instance cranberry extract for urinary tract health. But most of the stuff out there on the market is junk unless you are an elite athlete training for an event or competition. So many trainers sell the stuff to casual gym users as if it will make up for the lack of work. It is just a waste of money for someone that isn't training for several hours a day. And some supplements can be dangerous for those that are only casual gym users, creatine or ECA stack or Andro could cause serious health problems in people who aren't under the supervision of a trainer.
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Paris
I think toning and firming came about to encourage women to exercise at a time that fitness for women was considered not feminine. Toning was a euphemism for building muscle and firming stood in for losing fat. Women understood this on a subconscious level, but felt more feminine when hitting the gym and developing a healthy glow of perspiration. Otherwise, women would have avoided exercise as being too manly. Heck, when my mom was in high school the girls athelitic department offered only tennis and equestrian arts as the ladies sports.
All true, and well said, as usual.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Paris
All natural is implied that the athlete doesn't use steroids.
Not true, that's one meaning, and also worthless. Made with "all natural" ingredients, etc,, etc are also common industry used terms, and just as worthless. It's very common for the "natural" term to get thrown around as if it actually had some useful meaning, to infer safety or improved efficacy, etc.
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
i think that the term 'natural' is a bit of a scam because the fda definitions on waht is 'natural' are so arbitrary. and im not even sure how legit the claims of supplements not approved by the fda are! Some of the 'natural' ingredients found in food are several steps away from nature. so yes, i agree that people need to look into the 'natural' ingredients and see whats really there.
i get what you are trying to say about toning. it seems like some girls i talk to have this belief that if htey do a lot of crunches they will lose weight only in their belly. silly stuff like that-- they continue to snarf down donuts and believe that doing 20 crunches a day will somehow dissolve the gut they have aquired! please!
some supplements can be useful-- tonalin is awesome for me. but some are bullshit. for instance, i have some sort of crazy lipo-6 diet pills of some sort. i dont actually use them to lose weight, i use them when i need to stay away because they are loaded with all sorts of stimulants that are probably not good for my body. as far as i can tell though, this hasnt affected anything weight wise.
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Athenathefabulous
i think that the term 'natural' is a bit of a scam because the fda definitions on waht is 'natural' are so arbitrary.
It's truly a term without any real uses other then marketing.
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Any recommandations for products. Like I use GNC Lean Protein Shake.
Re: "Toning & firming" and other industry terms...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
wish
Any recommandations for products. Like I use GNC Lean Protein Shake.
You would have to be a bit more specific there. I don't tend to use GNC for much of anything as there prices are high and their formulations, nothing special. I tend to get most of my stuff from the Life Extension Foundation (www.LEF.org) as their quality is very good, and their prices (especially if you are a member buying in large-ish orders) are good for what you are getting. I have done consulting work for the company, write for their mag, and know the owner, so it's a company I know inside and out.
From a general ordering of other brands, places like www.Bodybuilding.com, Netrition.com, and others tend to have a great selection and great prices.