Rant about Main stream fitness mags out there
banks1850
Posts: 3,475 Member
So every once in a while I pick up a copy of mens health or mens fitness or sometimes
if it has articles on food or exercise, I pick up GQ. Recently over the last couple of
weeks, I notices a couple of things that, before I started working out, I just chuckled at,
but now, knowing how hard it is to get even 1 hour of good exercise in every day, I am
angry.
What do these magazines think anyway? That we each have 3 to 4 hours a day to do
a 2 hour work out and spend 2 hours in the kitchen preparing the 22 items needed,
and "pre-sear the meat for 10 minutes before baking for 40 minutes". Where do these people
live? Fairytale land? My wife and I are both moderately sucessful people WITH NO
KIDS, that work about 50 to 60 hours a week, we have barely the time to do a 1 to 2 hour
work out and spend 20 minutes making dinner at night, that is with pre-making half
the stuff we eat during the week. I mean, seriously, we barely have lives during the week and
we still have very little time to work out and prepare meals. These guys drive me nuts with
their 20 ingredient foods that have to be made fresh.
I could imagine how hard this would be with kids. Ugh, these magazines just annoy me.
forget the exercises, half of the exercises they profess are on machines that are too expensive for my GYM to buy, never mind me personally.
if it has articles on food or exercise, I pick up GQ. Recently over the last couple of
weeks, I notices a couple of things that, before I started working out, I just chuckled at,
but now, knowing how hard it is to get even 1 hour of good exercise in every day, I am
angry.
What do these magazines think anyway? That we each have 3 to 4 hours a day to do
a 2 hour work out and spend 2 hours in the kitchen preparing the 22 items needed,
and "pre-sear the meat for 10 minutes before baking for 40 minutes". Where do these people
live? Fairytale land? My wife and I are both moderately sucessful people WITH NO
KIDS, that work about 50 to 60 hours a week, we have barely the time to do a 1 to 2 hour
work out and spend 20 minutes making dinner at night, that is with pre-making half
the stuff we eat during the week. I mean, seriously, we barely have lives during the week and
we still have very little time to work out and prepare meals. These guys drive me nuts with
their 20 ingredient foods that have to be made fresh.
I could imagine how hard this would be with kids. Ugh, these magazines just annoy me.
forget the exercises, half of the exercises they profess are on machines that are too expensive for my GYM to buy, never mind me personally.
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Replies
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So every once in a while I pick up a copy of mens health or mens fitness or sometimes
if it has articles on food or exercise, I pick up GQ. Recently over the last couple of
weeks, I notices a couple of things that, before I started working out, I just chuckled at,
but now, knowing how hard it is to get even 1 hour of good exercise in every day, I am
angry.
What do these magazines think anyway? That we each have 3 to 4 hours a day to do
a 2 hour work out and spend 2 hours in the kitchen preparing the 22 items needed,
and "pre-sear the meat for 10 minutes before baking for 40 minutes". Where do these people
live? Fairytale land? My wife and I are both moderately sucessful people WITH NO
KIDS, that work about 50 to 60 hours a week, we have barely the time to do a 1 to 2 hour
work out and spend 20 minutes making dinner at night, that is with pre-making half
the stuff we eat during the week. I mean, seriously, we barely have lives during the week and
we still have very little time to work out and prepare meals. These guys drive me nuts with
their 20 ingredient foods that have to be made fresh.
I could imagine how hard this would be with kids. Ugh, these magazines just annoy me.
forget the exercises, half of the exercises they profess are on machines that are too expensive for my GYM to buy, never mind me personally.0 -
Ditto to the Dinks (double income, no kids) here. My husband and I work so hard, so many hours and volunteer a lot. So, we don't have time to work in a work out let alone create gourmet meals. (Although I am sitting here eating home-made pumkpin filled wontons with gorgonzola sauce. This isn't normal, but I took a time out to actually cook something inspirational on Sunday.
)
I also can't imagine how stressed out I would be with children and am amazed at those who can pull this off.
I think these magazines are just one more way we sabotoge ourselves by trying to stack up to these unrealistic people and their lives. It can't be done. It is a made up world for the 99% of us who live fairly normal hectic lives.
Banks - try what I do and next time read it for the entertainment value rather than any real value. I loften times augh at what they have women wearing, doing and looking like. I don't know anyone who lives this stuff.0 -
We should start a new magazine, called "No Six Packs! The fitness magazine for NORMAL people"0
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Great idea!0
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Clearly, you are supposed to hire a chef. What's the big question??
Just kidding!!
I'm lucky I'm a meat & potatoes guy myself. Nothing fancy on my menu, but I've had to cut out some stuff from my list. Not so much red meat and I used to be such a huge hamburger fan, too. Now I eat a lot of ham and fish and the beef usually is in the form of a stir fry, so there's not so much of it.
I've been making a list of things that are roughly one calorie / gram and try to avoid things that are much higher. Interestingly, gravy is really low cal.
The thing that ticked me off when I started was rice. I always thought rice was a great diet food, but it is not. Unless you a person who really can eat 1/4 cup of rice and call it a helping.
Well, enough hijacking of your thread. Good luck with your new magazine!0 -
Okay, so I do agree. As a SIOC (single income 1 child) it can be difficult. I do manage to get in an hour workout about 5 days a week - but some days that consists of running around the park with Juliet.
As far as the food goes - it's not really the prep time that gets me, it's the cost of buying all of these fresh and sometimes a bit out of the ordinary items. They can be really expensive!
I totally agree... I could look like the women on the covers of these magazines if I had a personal trainer, a nanny, and a chef... not to mention some one to airbrush the pictures. It's all about perspective! 0 -
Razboo is right they have chefs, and trainers at their beck and call. They also have assistants to take care of things for them. They Have “STAFF”. Things normal everyday people don’t have and never will.
As for the people….the models….we see in those magazines their bodies are they job. Plus those pictures have been “worked” on. Photo shopped or airbrushed what ever they do to make them look that way. :noway:
The weight loss group I belong to has their own magazine. We don’t have any celebrity spokes people in it and we accept no commercial advertising. It is just TOPS members and their success. REAL people with REAL life success. We also have recipes for normal healthy food and other articles pertaining to weight loss for real people.
I am with you when it come to the magazines on the stands. They really need to have something out there for real people that have real lives. I know I would buy it.0 -
I was able to get in about 2-3 hours of exercise when I had only 1 kid thanks to my hubby but now with this ankle biter it's almost impossible to get atleast an hour. I try to pop in a workout DVD and try to do it with her but she turns it into a ring-around-the-rosie marathon.
You know what else bugs the he!! out of me?????......
Magazines & shows like ET & Access Hollywood constantly mentioning how fast celebs lose their "baby weight"... WTH???
They have the money for a personal trainer AND a chef.... give me a friggin break!
Ok... I'm good now :happy:0 -
(from Loretta's post)
I am with you when it come to the magazines on the stands. They really need to have something out there for real people that have real lives. I know I would buy it.
As a SNINK (single, no income, no kids) - I am always looking for a business opportunity. I believe this magazine could be made! Loretta, would you send me a copy of one of your TOPS magazines so I can take a look at it? I promise I'll send it back!
If you would be willing, email me with your picture as an attachment and "MFP" in the subject ine, and I'll give you my address. I'm going to disguise my email address, so it can't be phished - here it is: cheryl(dot)dolphin (at) (google's email service) gmail -and then the normal.....[ (dot) com ending]
~cmriverside0 -
Cheryl
If you are serious about the magazine I would love to help! :flowerforyou: I am a Graphic Designer and want some magazine experience! I currently only design flyers, brochures and adverts!
Amanda0 -
ooh, I don't want to produce a whole magazine, but I was an english minor (weird I know, Degree in IT with a minor in English) in college and would be willing to take on a managing editor (or even just a columnist) roll if people are interested in running with it, I did write for my college newspaper (about 150 years ago I think).0
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Ooohhh...will there be an MFP mag in the works???? :happy:0
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Hi Cheryl,
Email sent. :bigsmile:
:flowerforyou:0 -
wow! There is some interest! I don't know if we could call it an MFP Magazine.....and just so's ya know: I have no "formal" magazine experience, but I too was a journalism major (in the days before IT ).
This is one of those great ideas that just screams DO IT! Banks, I'm going to do some research and get back to this thread.
~cm0 -
Sounds like fun:bigsmile:
I have written articles on the web for other writers if you can believe that.
Anyway I rarely look at magazines anymore but my daughter who is 15 does get a few. She is always ranting about the unrealistic people and things they put in them and like I said she is 15. I am so lucky she is able to see it for what it is.
Eve1 -
Hi Cheryl,
Email sent. :bigsmile:
:flowerforyou:
Got it, thanks! I sent you my info.
Woo!
~cheryl0 -
Sounds like a plan :happy:
Let me know if you want me to do anything. I am always full of ideas, I'm sure I could drum up quite a few between us, and my wife's gym friends for stories for people.0 -
:bigsmile:0
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Yeah def, there are bound to be lots of success stories from people on here and people they know!
How exciting!
:laugh:0 -
...And an empire is born?
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From Healthier_Me Post
You know what else bugs the he!! out of me?????......
Magazines & shows like ET & Access Hollywood constantly mentioning how fast celebs lose their "baby weight"... WTH???
They have the money for a personal trainer AND a chef.... give me a friggin break!
But then in the next segment they talk about which celebs are getting "fat."0 -
LOL!!:laugh:
Very true:grumble:0 -
I totally agree about all of the magazines out there that are meant to "help" people. Obviously the people doing those articles and the workouts are paid to do just that so they have all the time in the world, well at least while they are at work!
Start up your magazine ladies and I will be one of the first subscribers!
I am a mom of 2 kids with a husband that is a chef, and although you may think that works to my advantage it actually means I am pretty much a single mom with a room mate because of the long hours he puts in so here is what I do to make my life a bit easier when it comes to cooking meals.
1. plan a menu and find dishes that require similar ingredients
2. Make more than one meal out of a simple dish, like spaghetti with turkey meatballs (actually really good), and then have meatball sandwiches with the extra meatballs.
3. CROCK POT, I love my crock pot, I have 2.
4. Other than that I try to get all my meals together and cooked in about 2 hours on Sundays so then all I have to do is heat lunches or dinners up all week.0 -
Great ideat mnbarnum. I am a mother of 3 and my hubby is gone for about 12 hours per day 6-7 days a week. Although I generally get of by 1 pm the time I have off from work and my kids only amounts to an hour. Not much time since I normally come home and get lunch and a half hour on the treadmill or clean house before I pick the kids up. What helps me with my meals is I plan meals that my family will eat for sure. Our family favorites are tacos and burritos. I try to always have on hand zuchinni, cabbage, onions and potatoes too. Of course the crock pot is used often as well. Specially on days that are busy.
Eve0 -
Both of you have given me an idea. I also have 2 big crock pots and 1 smaller one that are sitting around gathering dust. I need to pull them out and see what I can come up with that would be low cal and cook all day. It sure would be nice to have dinner ready and not have to stand in the kitchen in the evening. Cooking kills my back.
I also have a pressure cooker that is awesome. I haven’t used in ages either. I could fix something in that as well that would be really low cal and cook it fast.
Has anybody ever cooked a chicken on a rotisserie without the skin? I am wondering if it would burn. Any suggestions? :flowerforyou:0 -
I'm with you on the crock pot mn,
My wife and I make a healthy turkey chili that is great!
First, a serving is only in the 300 cal range, it has
lots of vitamins, and protein (beans baby!) and poly-unsaturated fats.
Actual work to do it is less then 1/2 an hour and it makes 6 to 8 meals.
thats 3 days of lunches for both of us. Its great cuz we can have the
chili Mon,Wed,and Fri. and mix it up with something else on tues.
and thurs. Plus the chili is very filling!.
P.S. not sure how I feel about being lumped in with the ladies mn. 0 -
In regard to the mag . . . I did a major in English at uni and also have a certificate in marketing management which might help out too . . . let me know if I can help!0
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Loretta_Jo
Both of you have given me an idea. I also have 2 big crock pots and 1 smaller one that are sitting around gathering dust. I need to pull them out and see what I can come up with that would be low cal and cook all day. It sure would be nice to have dinner ready and not have to stand in the kitchen in the evening. Cooking kills my back.
I also have a pressure cooker that is awesome. I haven’t used in ages either. I could fix something in that as well that would be really low cal and cook it fast.
Has anybody ever cooked a chicken on a rotisserie without the skin? I am wondering if it would burn. Any suggestions? :flowerforyou:
I've never cooked chicken on a rotisserie without the skin, I would think though if you could keep steam in the rotisserie while the chicken is cooking, the chicken probably wouldn't burn...
I have cooked one in a crock pot. Just throw it in the pot and in a few hours you have a nice juicy chicken. Toss some veggies in and you have a meal. :-)0 -
I would love to help with the magazine. I use to be a competitive powerlifter and know lots about working out and exercise. I would love to help if you should need any. This sounds like a fun idea. It'll be fun to see where we can go with this.
I just want you let you all know about the people in the fittness mags. I've met a lot of these fittness models and fittness competitors in my powerlifting years. I was a world class lifter and hold National and World records, therefore I have had a chance to meet a lot of these people and get to know them and live among their world. Although many of them are great people and extremely kind hearted, they have more eating disorders than most people I know. So please don't take their pictures to heart and say "I want to look like this person". It isn't what you think, most do not live the "healthy" lifestyle that you think they do. Some do, but they have the genetics for it. Others force their bodies to be that way by dieting to the extreme. I'm talking about carb loading for energy so that they can work out extremely hard to build the muscles along with more proteins than your body can process, so they have liver problems from trying to force so much protein through their bodies. Then when they start carrying more body fat than they want because of the carb loading, the they start carb depleting, which starves their bodies and they get into a mal-nutritious state and often get very ill. And often, after a body building competition, they are craving so much junk because they have deprived themselves for months, they eat all kinds of fatty foods and get sick. This is the life of some of these so called "Fittness models" or "Body builders". This is the world I lived in as a powerlifter for years. Although it's different for the powerlifters, they just eat and eat and eat, because you have to have the fat around the muscles for support, that's how I got so heavy. It isn't pretty.
As for the rotisserie chicken without the skin, I don't think that you can do that well, as the heat will dry the chicken up without the skin holding the juice within. But it does work quite well in the crock pot.0 -
As for the rotisserie chicken without the skin, I don't think that you can do that well, as the heat will dry the chicken up without the skin holding the juice within. But it does work quite well in the crock pot.
That is what I was thinking but wanted another opinion before I went and made the house stinky with burnt dry chicken. I will nix the chicken on the rotisserie and pop that sucker in the crock pot. It will be less work that way anyway. Thanks for the help. :flowerforyou:0
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