I find it really amazing how fitness & bodybuilding has become so popular. Everybody wants to get into it these days. More public gyms are opening around this area and more health foods stores are opening around here too (Whole Foods, slowly making their way to the Capital District). I am noticing that losing weight is more popular than bodybuilding though. Most people want to lose the pounds more than bodybuilding, there aren’t many that are into bodybuilding around here.
Why is fitness so popular and mainstream? Why does everyone wants to get into it? Well, I certainly blame it on TV shows like, the “Biggest Loser” for one. I also blame it on the fitness ads you see in the magazines which could be responsible for getting people motivated. Plus the supplement products help get people interested. I also blame it on P90X or beachbody stuff (no offense to Steve) and all these muscle & fitness magazines. A lot of people get into fitness expect to see fast results that the ads make you believe. It’s not true. Losing weight or building muscle takes years. In my opinion, supplemental products don’t really do anything, and they just want your money. You achieve your goals on a strict nutrition.
I didn’t get into fitness because of all the ads and fitness media.
I got into it because of Sly & Arnold, pretty much. They were my main inspiration. Yes, of course, people will accuse those guys using steroids, but they help get people motivated, no matter what you think of them. It makes me want to feel tough like them. It makes me want to look like them someday, when I reach their age. I may have decent results and I may be at a good start now, but I still have lots of work and learning to do. I’m still studying nutrition and still trying make my eating habits better as well.
It’s good that people want to lose weight, but they need to think about adding more muscle too. A lot of them fail to realize that building muscle helps them lose the weight even more and faster. They just eat really good and do way too much cardio, not lift any weights at all. You need to lose the pounds and add the muscle at the same time.
People are desperate to lose weight or build muscle, when they need to learn that this stuff takes time. Just enjoy life, keep it up and be happy. I may not look like Sly or Arnold yet, but I’m not rushing to get there. People will think it’s impossible to look like Sly or Arnold, but I believe it’s possible. Just don’t give up. Work hard and prove people wrong.
Kev
K'Brocking 
No offense taken, Kev, but I think you are generalizing. Not everyone gets into fitness just because they are bombarded by this craze and that craze. I was into the martial arts ever since 1994, and I have always wanted to be more fit so I could do it better. The only thing is, every time I tried exercising on my own, I could never come up with a program that got results beyond the first few months. I didn’t have the time to research one either, but P90X and Insanity (and so on) gave me programs that DID work, and they were already done for me! Yes, some people DO follow the herd. They get into exercising just because they were told it was good for them (which it is), but then they give up because their heart really isn’t in it. Just like with music, you can’t get into exercise unless you are passionate about it…and I am. And make no mistake: I don’t push the Beachbody workouts simply because I do it as a part-time business. The programs gave me results first. When I saw they worked, that was when I signed up to promote them. They aren’t for everyone…they aren’t the be-all, end-all of fitness…but they DID get me results, and that’s why I share them with people.