On Our Minds
Chris seems to enjoy riling people up on Twitter. So I decided to get to the bottom of one of his tweets because this one’s a common concern – even among lifters who are in great shape. Here it is:
“Why don’t fitness sites use more photos of regular people instead of those with perfect bodies?!”
Because you wouldn’t read the articles or watch the videos if they used regular people. Women’s fitness mags tried this in order to be “inclusive.” Their sales plummeted.
— Chris Shugart (@ChrisShugart) July 10, 2020
So we break this down and talk about the optics in fitness publications. Is it motivating to see “normal” people working out, or do we secretly desire to see aspirational, over-the-top muscularity and unnatural levels of leanness? We certainly know what gets clicked and tapped the most.
We also talk about women’s fitness magazines. Are they coddling women too much? Watering down the information? Is that why serious females lifters gravitate toward T Nation while more “inclusive” women’s fitness mags are losing subscribers?
It’s a sometimes tricky topic. Give it a listen and tell us what YOU think.
Quiz
Relationships and food… this week’s quiz covers both. Can you beat my score? Topics include:
- The drink that doubles fat loss in certain populations. It actually has to do with fixing a nutrient deficiency common with overweight people.
- Food porn: does it make you hungry? You may be surprised.
- The breakfast food that boosts fat loss by 65%. (I’m actually trying this right now!)
- The person your spouse is probably cheating with. Well, let’s hope not, but there is a pattern among those who stray.
- The thing that does NOT make a woman more attractive to a man. Weirdly enough, it’s the exact opposite when to comes to men attracting women.
Newsflash
Winners vs. losers. Successful people vs. quitters. What personality trait separates these two groups? To figure this out, researchers studied US Marines and sailors who were undergoing an intense training course that most trainees fail to complete. Those who succeeded had one thing in common: the ability to cultivate a joyful and confident attitude.
How can we develop the same mindset? How can we keep pushing forward when we’re faced with challenges that erode our confidence? We have some ideas about that, and some training and diet tips that build on this new research.
Check out the whole study here.
The Shugart Cart
In my cart this week I have a supplement… for dogs. See, one of our dogs is a bit anxious. Maybe more than a bit. His vet even suggest Prozac, which seems extreme. So I’m trying out this doggie stress reducer. It’s called Zesty Paws Calming Bites. It contains a variety of natural calming ingredients.
Chris’s cart contains… Taco Bell sauce. Really. Turns out, you can buy it in grocery stores and honesty there’s nothing too crazy in the ingredients. Calories? Virtually none. Check it out if you like the flavor of unhealthy fast Mexican food but don’t want to look like you do.
Miss any of our previous episodes? Catch up below…