8 Tips to Finding Quality Fitness Brands

In yesterday’s blog I talked about how celebrity endorsements can fail. Not all celeb endorsements are bad but, because of the bad ones, I’m sure many people wonder who they can trust. If you want to be led in the right direction, here are some tips to help you make more solid decisions and fewer fitness mistakes.

1. Follow fitness leaders who lead by example. This means both the fitness leader and the fitness brand – and Reebok is setting the standards high, with a growing emphasis on education and effective training. It’s great that a brand is cool, but being cool is not enough. Being popular isn’t enough. Results speak louder than anything else, and some of the best brands are realizing the importance of teaming up with quality people and content. (picture from Kelly Olexa)

2. Don’t just let any celebrity give you professional advice. Let professionals give you professional advice. This goes for your neighbors and friends too. Don’t ask everyone what they are doing to lose weight, looking for the one who tells you something you like. Search for the truth, whether you want to hear it or not. The truth is the only thing that will set you free.

3. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Move on. I could write a book on this one, but will save you the fitness sermon for another day. Just because it as the “As seen on TV” doesn’t mean it is reliable. Like this neck slimming device, it’s probably LESS reliable!

4. If something looks like it make take work to get results, it’s probably worth trying. Hard work typically has a greater reward. If you always look for the easy way out, you will always be disappointed.

5. Don’t rely solely on ads to make a purchase. Research your purchases, especially when it comes to fitness equipment and supplements.

6. Look for the “FitFluential” name or logo. If someone is a FitFluential Ambassador, they are held to high standards and expected to be honest, reliable, passionate and professional. (and NO, they did not ask me to write this or promote them. This is my honest feelings and experience).

7. Share your own experience. If you have a product you love, or a product that failed you, you can help others by sharing your experience. Tweet about the brands you love, post pictures on facebook and pin your favorite brands on Pinterest. We can all learn from each other.

8. Do they put their money where their mouth is? If you really want to know if a product is worth it or not, find out if the person repping it would actually buy it. Many people (myself included) get many products free, but the real test is whether or not we would spend our own money on it if it needed replacing. For me, I’d buy Designer Whey bars even if I didn’t work for Designer Whey. I would buy Chobani yogurt every time I went to the grocery store if they didn’t keep me stocked up. I bought a half dozen Gymbosses for my health club after I became an affiliate because I love their product and know my members would benefit from using them too. And, I don’t just I also love Reebok, GNC, Spira, DA Active, LiveWell360 and Bodylastics, I use them on a regular basis because I genuinely love them.

Let’s rise above celebrity status and make smart choices, not just seemingly popular ones. 🙂  – B –

NOTE: I DID NOT GET COMPENSATED FOR THIS BLOG IN ANY WAY.