The Firm is perhaps the most heavily advertised weight loss and fitness product on television. It is sold through its infomercial as well as its website firmdirect.com.
The Firm focuses on step aerobics, with the addition of light weights. It is sold as a "Body Sculpting System" of three videos, a "Fanny Lifter" step, several instructional guides to proper exercise technique, and the secrets of its founding instructors. The whole plan costs $89.95. There are also several optional upgrades, including dumbbell weights ($29.95), a four-pack of specific body part exercise videos ($29.95), multivitamins ($25.90 for 60 days), and an information and support club called "The Firm Believers Club" ($24.95-3 months, $39.90-6 months).
The Firm is one of the better commercial weight loss programs on the market, despite its expense. It focuses on what works in the long term: intense cardiovascular exercise with muscle building. Food is a side issue, which makes it almost the exact opposite of most commercial weight loss program. Most focus on food, at the expense of exercise. But virtually everyone who has ever lost significant weight and kept it off for good, focused primarily on the exercise portion.
The problem with The Firm is that it is pure exercise. Most people, after an initial burst of motivation, fail to maintain mundane forms of exercise like aerobics and especially video aerobic workouts. The lack of social interaction with people around to push you and keep you from embarrassing yourself, makes it too easy to lose your motivation.
Instead of falling prey to a marketing juggernaut, follow their recommendations: focus on intense cardiovascular exercise. But this is much better accomplished by following a basic food plan and structure which you could design yourself or use one of the convenient, inexpensive online programs. The real key is to use this basic structure while adding exercise sports to your life. Examples include tennis, hiking, biking, climbing, dancing, etcetera... It is in these physical activities that you don't think of as exercise that the mental battle of weight loss can be won for good. And they are first-and-foremost fun!
Jillian Michaels- This impressive online weight loss program was designed by the world-class fitness trainer from the popular TV shows Losing it with Jillian and The Biggest Loser. The program focuses on what works in the long term: motivation to lose weight the right way and keep it off. Her inexpensive diet and exercise plans are personalized to your comfort level as you get in shape and lose weight. Jillian Michaels has created quite a buzz and she deserves it. Her program is free to try.
Copyright 2001-2010 Chase Freedom Inc. "Chase Freedom" is a registered trademark of Chase Freedom Inc. All diet reviews are opinion and unscientific and should not be substituted for the advice of a doctor or registered dietitian. We do endorse and maintain affiliate status with weight loss companies and programs that conform to our opinion that sensible weight loss is best. This opinion includes the following traits: inexpensive, based on traditional strategies of diet and exercise, and independent. Companies and programs include eDiets, Nutrisystem, Jillian Michaels, Denise Austin, Diet Power Software, Sonoma Diet, Joy's Life Diet, among others.
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