The greatest weight loss secret: Revealed!

Have you ever noticed how every women's health and fitness magazine cover is essentially the same? Each issue sells faster, easier and "secret" ways to improve your health. Maybe I'm making a sweeping generalization here (full disclosure: I currently subscribe to zero women's health magazines) but I think I'm onto something.

Fitness magazines geared toward men have a tendency to do the same. I suppose it's only natural to be attracted to things we think will help improve our lives. On the surface, these headlines and related articles appear to be part of a solution to the obesity epidemic; that they are promoting health and wellness. You might think these magazines are a step in the right direction. I don't.

The problem with them is the perpetuation of myths like "quick fix" diets and short term workouts as healthy and reasonable ways to improve your health. Magazines like Self pander to the lazy attitudes that have caused our epidemic in the first place. Just think of how many times you've seen covers featuring a time promise (Lose 10 pounds in 25 days! 5-minute abs!) or using variations of buzz words like "quick", "easy", "fast", "simple", or "secrets". Don't think this is more perception than reality. Take a look at how often the words are used on the past seven covers.

Maybe I am onto something.

You may note the minimal use of buzz words on April's cover and that I left September off the chart. Those two covers earn bonus points for creativity. Rather than the usual buzz words, April's cover uses the phrase "Without Even Trying"; September's cover opts for verbiage such as "erase" and "melt" to sensationalize the simplicity of weight loss. But let's be honest: If weight loss really could come easy, they wouldn't be selling so many damn magazines.

What is perhaps most troublesome about the headlines and promises of fad diets, supplements and workouts is the damage it has done to the collective American psyche. It trains us to believe easy solutions are out there; that there are shortcuts to be found. Furthermore, pairing these headlines with the incessant imagery of beautiful fitness models creates a culture that fosters insecurity, anxiety and depression in hyper-conscious young women.

I've seen the consequences first hand. A few years ago, I visited my younger sister at her university dormitory. I was surprised to find the only food she had in her apartment style dorm room was a bag of tortilla chips. I also found a container of extreme fat burning diet pills. On the mirror hanging in her bedroom hung photographs of beautiful women torn from women's fitness magazines. I asked about them. "That's what I have to look like this summer," she replied.

Tragically, she didn't look anything like those models that summer. She had a heart attack the next day. The heart attack caused a blood clot which cut off oxygen to her brain and has left her in a persistent vegetative state. While the cause of the heart attack was never determined, I suspect the extreme fat burning supplements, poor diet and anxiety she'd been treated for had something to do with it.

She was looking for a shortcut. She was looking for the secret to obtaining the idealized female body image she saw in the magazines. The truth is, if you want to reap the benefits of a healthier lifestyle, you have to understand the greatest weight loss secret there is: There are no secrets. You will not find the answer to your weight loss struggles in a magazine, in a pill, in a book, online, or on a DVD. Sure there are plenty of tips you can use from these sources, but that inspiration should come only after you've found the interior motivation necessary for a workout plan to succeed.

If you're serious about improving your health, put down the magazine, shut off the computer and get your workout gear ready. Knowledge of fitness tips and techniques won't mean a thing until you know why you are pursuing fitness improvement and are completely convinced you really, really want it. In short, you already hold the secret to your success. And the place to find it, is on the track.

Before you lace 'em up, continue to The greatest weight loss secret: Revealed! Part 2 for ways to find and utilize motivation for serious and lasting results.