It's Not the Shake!

I have a lot of friends in the health industry. I've been approached by SO many folks on the latest "breakthrough" in something I write for awhile. Nonetheless, I have a friend who swears by a nutritional shake that helped her lose weight. As I listened to her excitement, passion and story I thought to myself, "Could a shake really cause those results?"

I decided to try a shake. My motivation was merely to "test" this claim. Over the next several weeks, I monitored my progress. I continued to exercise like I normally do and enjoyed my periodic shakes. Well, you want to hear my results? <insert cricket sound> Nothing really; my weight fluctuated by about 2 pounds (aka water weight). So what happened?

I'm convinced that my results weren't in the shake. I always knew that fact, but I wanted to get in my friend's head and understand her motivation. What I discovered was very insightful. The shake (for me) wasn't the trick. What DOES work is being mindful of my food intake and sticking to my routine consistently. Perhaps the shake made me believe that I was doing something good for my body, hence the placebo effect was at work.

Well, I discontinued my shake and replaced it with some veges and hummus dip (yum!) I feel just as good, if not better. I tell my clients, it's not about the "stuff" we put in us with claims that can't be substantiated. What I tell them is eating quality foods over the long haul will help them achieve their fitness goals, not the "shake."

Be inspired,

Valerie Merriweather, ACE, NASM
Discovery Health Fitness Expert
National Body Challenge

www.fitwellsolutions.com