I thought with all of the latest truth talks flooding the industry, we maybe, just maybe, would have finally managed to prevent another juice/shake pyramid bollox scheme from coming out of the woodwork. We’re never gonna get rid of slimfast or herbal life, but the aloe vera bullshit seems to have been kerbed (either that or they’ve gone into hiding). BUT… it appears not…
Yet another pyramid scheme quoting “superfoods” and shakes is about to take the UK by storm!!! Well… I’m gonna put my two penneth worth in now, if it stops one person wasting their money and time then it’ll be worth it!!!
Beachbody is about to hit the UK, and in all honesty, this isn’t the element that’s bothering me. This aspect is an online training aid or ap for people to use when training from home… great stuff… It’s endorsed by some of the worlds biggest fitness names who most people will recognise, like Shaun T (you all remember trying to do hip hop abs right?)… My issue is the nutrition element that goes along with it…
Shakeology. Or you can call it Juice Plus take 2. Just another shake alleviating the responsibility for people putting shit in their mouths!!! But it’s full of super foods you say, it’s so nutrient dense I don’t crave sugary snacks you say… WRONG… How long are people gonna be suckered in by the term “super foods”, how long are people gonna take to realise that these nutrient dense shakes actually still contain a fair bit of sugar for flavouring, not to mention the natural sugars that exist in fruits! If you really want to sort out your nutrition and have shakes, the latest nutri-bullets have a boat load of ideas for what to blend to pack the goodness in and they’re not charging you through the nose to get them… Sure you have the initial investment into the nutri-bullet but most people have them or something similar, why would you not just buy a load of fruit and veg and blend it yourself, that way you know exactly what’s in it and you can adjust to suit your own taste and it’s waaaay more cost effective.
One of their key marketing points is that it saves people money and there’s a list of testimonials saying how it stopped them buying junk foods so saved them a fortune… THE SHAKE DID NOT MAKE YOU STOP BUYING JUNK FOODS YOU JUST OPTED NOT TO BUY THEM!!! OPEN YOUR EYES!!! They also say it’s not marketed as a weight loss product, yet their first line on the website is weight loss and losing weight safely, they even use the phrase “why starve”… 130kcals in a collection of shakes… yeah I call that starving… The strangest factor to mention along with the above though is what goes into these shakes, in one of their shakes they claim you get all the nutrient benefits of several food items, BUT, the maths just don’t add up… They have a shake 130kcals, 16g protein, 14g carbs and 3g of fiber… If you were to go out and buy all of the foods they supposedly put in, you’re talking 1950kcals, 161g protein, 340g carbs and 85g fiber… So where oh where are all of these accounted for? Oh I know… they’re condensed and processed so much that actually the nutritional benefit is lacklustre, if you were to eat even half of the real foods, that’s some pretty stocky nutrients and for the amount you’d have to eat, you’d be full for days (no snacking wahey, what d’ya know??!!!)
The thing that really bothers me here though is that these type of schemes pray on the vulnerable of our society, unfortunately there’s quite a few. Anyone who is into fitness and nutrition and has a basic understanding would NEVER go for these products. These products are aimed at people who have very limited finances (which makes it even worse as they’re not cheap), they’re aimed at people with health issues such as IBS claiming to be some sort of miracle cure, and they’re aimed at people with weight issues (who often are so desperate they’ll try anything to get the weight off – even when they know deep down, a quick fix is never the answer).
You can spot these things a mile off, generally someone touting for business who will then say they can grant you the same amazing opportunity they have, not only will you buy the product for yourself but they’ll take you to a huge seminar all expenses paid, brainwash you and then chuck you out onto the frontline selling it to the next vulnerable person. If you don’t actually believe me do a little google search on whichever company and scripts, you’ll find an abundance of sales techniques and questions and answers, along with “post” scripts for all the sellers to use, we even found one on “how to not take no for an answer”… it really is a disturbing and dark place to be…
What’s really sad is, it’s immoral, but some of these people genuinely do earn more than a LOT of people by selling these products. I know I could sell it and I’d make waaaay more than I do from running programs within the gym, I could be giving my family the best of the best, nice house, nice car, more holidays, money for uni for the kids… but I don’t… why? Quite simply because I’d far rather save and dare I say struggle along, than prey on the weak and the vulnerable and potentially destroy their finances, health and mental wellbeing. Not to mention when kids see their parents having this stuff, it instils the quick fix mentality into them too, but that’s another blog altogether.
Please, by all means if you can’t get to the gym, do their in home workouts, no matter what anyone says about them being shit and not working, home workouts DO get you up off your backside and moving… you won’t get a body like any of theirs by following it as I can guarantee they do far more at home and the gym to get their physiques, not to mention they definitely won’t be hitting the shakeology shit and some, not all, will be hammering the gear (remember they’re paid to look incredible so they will do whatever it takes), but if you’re doing jack shit, getting up and doing 30 minutes each day will make a difference!
But please… don’t fall for the Juice Plus take 2, or 3, or 10 (I’ve lost count)… educate yourself about nutrition, there are plenty of people willing to help you. Save your money, save your health.
S x
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