Get Busy Living with The Big Fat Health and Fitness Lie

By by Marna Poole, www.EducationWorld.com

In The Big, Fat Health and Fitness Lie, noted international fitness expert and consumer advocate Craig Pepin-Donat doesn’t pull any punches; we can count on him to tell it like it is. Whether he’s challenging Big Pharma and government agencies or advising us which exercise equipment is worth our money, Pepin-Donat teaches without preaching and backs up his information by citing other experts in the field. In fact, each chapter in this tightly packed volume concludes with a list of resources — Web sites, reading material, health organizations — for further research, should we desire to expand our own knowledge.

When it comes to improving our health and fitness, most of us like to assume we’re on the right track. We know it’s important to get (and stay) healthy and fit, and we’re determined to reach that goal. The trouble is, it’s just so hard to do. Thank goodness there are miracle diet pills, weight-loss supplements, and perfect home gyms that will do the work for us!

But it’s not that easy. Even though we think we can’t be fooled by slick sales pitches or swayed by heartfelt testimonials and before-and-after pictures, the multi-billion-dollar health and fitness industry know we can be — and that we’re willing to pay for it.

But as, Pepin-Donat points out, we not only pay for it with our wallets, but with our health. He separates the scams from the simple truth. In his forthright and eminently readable book, The Big Fat Health and Fitness Lie, he offers details, as only an insider can, that debunk a number of health-and-fitness myths, along with suggestions for taking charge of your health — and your life.

Starting with the principle that it’s easier to fix something when you know how it broke, the first chapters cover addictions (food, alcohol, tobacco — even television), taking prescription drugs, and our dependence on vitamin supplements, any of which can prevent us from being healthy and fit. We are, Pepin-Donat suggests, “trapped by detrimental behaviors that have control over [our] lives.” The solution seems almost elementary: Get rid of the behavior and we’ll eliminate the roadblock on the path to good health. It is not, however, as uncomplicated as all that. A healthy body doesn’t just happen; it takes hard work. And therein lies the main reason why it’s good to have The Fit Advocate, Craig Pepin-Donat on our side: He has a wealth of personal experiences and a unique insight into the health and fitness industry, and he wants to share this invaluable information with us.

Pepin-Donat addresses that bugaboo of so many of us — dieting. Losing weight can be challenging for even the most determined among us; no wonder we’ll try just about anything. Pepin-Donat, however, rips through the façade of the $40 billion diet and weight loss industry to lay bare the facts: “People allow themselves to be ripped off every day on quick-fix schemes to lose weight, build muscle and a variety of other big, fat health and fitness lies designed to appeal to those who are looking for shortcuts to improve the way they look and feel.”

Okay, but what about health clubs and gyms? While exercising regularly is one of the most positive steps toward good health, it’s still wise to be cautious of the “fitness fabrication.” Pepin-Donat pinpoints the pitfalls associated with joining a gym or fitness center and shows us just what to consider before signing that membership contract. He also covers home-exercise apparatus, aided by a simple “Fit Advocate Approved” symbol for easy reference when choosing basic equipment. If it’s Fit Advocate approved, it works!

Last — and perhaps most important — Pepin-Donat offers hope, encouragement and real solutions. He acknowledges that taking steps to ensure our good health is “simple, but not easy,” but he’s convinced—and easily convinces us as well — that the information in his book can lead us “down a new and productive path filled with vitality and exuberance towards achieving [our] goals.”

Craig Pepin-Donat’s The Big Fat Health and Fitness Lie shines a bright light on that path to positive self-improvement, so that we can, as he so succinctly puts it, “get busy living!”

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