Podcast: Why We Fall for Fitness Quick Fixes and How to Break Free

Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM, is the Chief Executive Officer at the American Council on Exercise (ACE). On a typical day, he collaborates with various partners such as the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine to champion increased physical activity based on science and evidence-based practices. When sharing about physical activity Cedric often says, “Some activity is better than none, and more is better than some! Every little bit counts.”

Cedric has more than 35 years in the health and fitness industry and has authored more than 300 articles and co-authored or edited more than 40 books. He earned both his doctorate in physiology and master’s degree in exercise science from Pennsylvania State University, where he received Pennsylvania State University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor presented to its alumni.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, “Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations,” available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.

Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without.

To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.

Producer’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: You’re listening to Inside Mental Health: A Psych Central Podcast where experts share experiences and the latest thinking on mental health and psychology. Here’s your host, Gabe Howard.

Gabe Howard: Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast. I’m your host Gabe Howard, calling into the show today. We have Cedric Bryant. Dr. Bryant earned both his doctorate in physiology and a master’s degree in exercise science from Pennsylvania State University. He is the CEO of the American Council on Exercise (ACE), which is the leading nonprofit organization certifying health coaches and exercise professionals. Dr. Bryant, welcome to the podcast.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Well, thanks, Gabe.

Gabe Howard: Well, I am super excited that you’re here. Now, the first thing I want to say is this is a mental health show. So we don’t usually have people who are certifying exercise folks, you know, physical therapists and

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Things like that. And exercise is not something that we talk about a lot because we spend all of our time on mental health. But when you reached out to us and we started talking about this show, you correctly pointed out that and your organization correctly pointed out that that, you know, your physical health does drive your mental health, and that’s something that doesn’t get a lot of conversation. Now, I have always said that mental health and physical health shouldn’t be separated. And then of course, I was separating it on the podcast. So the first question I wanted to ask you is, do you see it from your side where people are always talking about physical health, but they’re not talking about their mental health?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Yeah, I think both sides of that coin are true, and that those in the exercise world and the physical activity space tend to sometimes become myopically focused on the body elements, but not the mind elements. You might have certain disciplines like yoga and Pilates, where they talk quite frequently about the mind body connection, but in traditional exercise there tends to be an overfocus on many of the physical aspects. But one of the hidden blessings of the Covid pandemic is that people gained a greater appreciation for that mind body connection and for mental health, because one of the things that used to always be the number one reason why individuals would, would seek out exercise professionals and look to become more physically active was to lose weight or improve their physical appearance. And that’s really changed quite dramatically after the pandemic in that I think dealing with the stress of the pandemic, dealing with the isolation associated with the pandemic, many people are placing more emphasis and importance on their mental health.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: I think one of the underappreciated values and benefits of being physically active is that it has such a profoundly positive impact on our mood, on our attitudes, on how we handle the stress of life. I mean, there’s not a single person on this planet who isn’t exposed to some level of stress throughout their day, and exercise and being physically active can help us to better manage that. I mean, you really can spell stress relief with exercise. And so it’s to your point is that if I’m handling my stress better, if my mood is elevated, which we know that exercise can have some mood-altering positive effects, that I’m going to be a better me. I’m going to feel better about all of me to include the physical me. If the mental me of me is as well. And so it definitely the two are linked. And that’s why you can’t separate the mind from the body.

Gabe Howard: Now, I’ve noticed from my vantage point lots of trends in the industry. Do this exercise, do this diet, take this vitamin, take this supplement, do this one thing. And seemingly overnight, you will be the peak of physical fitness. Is that true? Is there? Tell it. I want it to be true. Dr. Bryant, I want you to tell me the thing that I can do so that tomorrow I will have six pack abs and be able to climb up and down ladders and stairs without losing my breath. It exists. Right?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Gabe, I wish I could tell you that. I think we all would love that. It would be nice if we could get those results that we’re seeking without any effort. And I think that’s why there’s such a strong appeal to many of these fad type kind of fitness approaches in that they promised the impossible. They promised that you can get the body you want, you can get the level of physical functioning and capability that you want with little or no effort. And you can get it at the snap of a finger. And unfortunately, the human body just doesn’t work that way. And it is a process and it takes time. And I think one of the things that we have to balance out is that natural kind of impatience that we have, that we want that immediate success with the realities, that it’s going to take some time. So we’ve got to figure out how do we help individuals find ways to identify the early success, if you will, that will kind of keep them in the game until they kind of start to experience those longer-term results that they’re really looking for.

Gabe Howard: I completely understand why we want it to be quick. I think we all do. I just

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Want to acknowledge that for the audience. I mean, nobody wants to take a painstaking process, right? If you can do something and get good results quickly, we want to do it. But over the years, I mean quick fix after quick fix after quick fix has come, it gets all of the attention and it fails. It goes away. And yet, like moth to a flame, people are attracted to the next one. Why are we so attracted to these quick fixes? Why do we not just see them as BS? Why? Why are they still catching fire and catching our attention? Why is America not just ignoring these fads?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Well I believe it’s in part, Gabe, is that many of the marketers of those quick fixes and those products and so forth are quite clever, and they really know how to touch the right buttons for many people who have experienced a great deal of frustration, and they’re borderline desperate to find something that works. And so you already have someone who you can mildly manipulate because they’re really hungry for something that’s going to work for them. And then when you can show them great testimonies, you can do the stage before and after pictures, and you can show you have all the, you know, with social media now, you can get the kind of echo chamber that is just bombarding you with these messages that look at this. It’s worked for this person and that person and they did it with little effort and overnight. And look at how they look at how they look now. And so it just feeds into that desire that folks have to really experience that change with ease and, and, and convenience and lack of discomfort. And that’s one of the challenges with physical activity is that if we’re honest physical activity for most people. And when I say most people greater than 80% of the population doesn’t find it enjoyable, because

Gabe Howard: That’s because it’s not. It’s not enjoyable.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: And that’s something that I think people in our space sometimes have a hard time relating to, because for us personally, we love it. I love being physically active, but I also have to be cognizant of the fact that most of the people that I’m going to be working with trying to help, don’t share that same thought and that and have had that same experience. And so for them, you’ve got to find the thing that is going to work for them, the thing that’s going to kind of float their boat, that’s going to get them started. And I think what happens sometimes in our space is that because we are so locked into our belief that it’s such a great thing and that we tend to be so prescriptive and we think of and we, we forget about the kind of intangible side of things, of really finding that something that people can find some level of enjoyment in doing. And even if it isn’t the ideal exercise, if it can get them started on that journey. And I like to think of it as a journey, because with the journey, you’re going to have some missteps and help the person prepare for that and recognize that it isn’t going to be the straight line to success they’re going to be a lot of, you know, missteps along the way, but just keep seeking for a little bit of progress. And I think too often we seek perfection as opposed to those small steps of progress.

Gabe Howard: There’s two things I want to say to that. One, I completely agree. I think to myself all the time, well, I don’t have time to go for an hour walk. So therefore I’m going to go for a zero-minute walk and study after study after study is like, you know, Gabe, if you went for a ten-minute walk, you would be so much better off. And I’m like ten minutes is nothing. I’m not going to look good after ten

Cedric Bryant, PhD: [Laughter]

Gabe Howard: Minutes, but I would I would benefit from a ten minute

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Walk. I just want to put that out there. But I want to back up to something that you said at

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Sure.

Gabe Howard: The beginning of your answer, where you said it’s easy to manipulate vulnerable people with staged before and after photos. I think that the average person doesn’t realize that they can be staged, or that there is a way to manipulate it, that the testimonies may lack context. Can you share with our audience some of the things that they should look out for when they’re evaluating a workout system or an exercise program that they see online or on television,

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Or that’s being promoted?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Sure. Well, one of the things it really that that old adage that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The thing that you need to look at is look at the claims that they’re making, and what is the real, solid, independently verified support for those claims. And if a product is relying almost exclusively on testimonials, as opposed to real, solid research evidence, that would cause me to be a little suspicious if they really rely quite heavily on celebrity social media influencers. And you look at also the credentials of some of the individuals who are promoting these things, what are their backgrounds? Do they have a direct financial tie to that product? And really, if you can just let your sniff meter just trust it because I think most people kind of know. But again, it’s that tough spot where you’re so desperate and so wanting to find that secret bullet, that magic bullet that people ignore their sniff meter.

Gabe Howard: I completely agree with everything that you said. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Or everybody would just be perfect.Everybody would have all the energy they wanted. Everybody would have the bodies that they wanted. Everybody would have the strength levels they wanted.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: It would just it would just be perfect. So the very proof of it is that it’s not. But one of the things that you said, and I want to play a little bit of devil’s advocate here

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Sure.

Gabe Howard: Is you said, trust the science, right. Trust the science.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Yeah.

Gabe Howard: Don’t rely on celebrities, listen to science. Well, science has presented us a problem in the exercise space. I remember I’m almost 50 years old, and when I was a kid, sit ups were all the rage. Do sit ups. Do sit ups, do sit ups, do sit ups, do sit ups. This was science pounded this into my head.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: [Laughter]

Gabe Howard: And then one day they’re like, you know what? Sit ups are probably bad for your back. It’s causing back pains. Don’t do sit ups anymore. Science is now saying that sit ups were bad and I can do this all day. Eggs. I don’t even know where eggs are on the spectrum right now, but they have been bad because they have high cholesterol. They have been good because I don’t I don’t even know why. Science, of course, is changing as research becomes available. So I think the average person is like, well, I can’t even count on science because even science is wrong. And, you know, at least the celebrities, they’re really packaging this in a way that I love to hear.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: They are.

Gabe Howard: What is your response to the well, but can we trust the science?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Well, one of the things is that I think there’s a misconception of what really good science looks like, and that good science shouldn’t remain static because as new evidence becomes available, good science should change and adapt according to that new evidence. And that’s why you will see things like what your example with, with, with sit ups and eggs and so forth. To me, that’s good science that that we’re evolving, that we’re changing as the as the information becomes available. And I think people want to have science just tell me the answer. And this is 100% what I can. I can trust and it never changes. That’s not science, that’s dogma. And I think that’s what people need to understand is that with good science, you are going to have things that are going to change and evolve, and that is tough for the for the average person to understand and appreciate.

Gabe Howard: Over in the mental health space, we see a lot of marketing to very vulnerable people who want that quick fix. In fact, they’re desperate for a quick fix because they’re so sick. And when

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: I think about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and of course, suicidality, I understand why they’re so desperate. Why are they so desperate? On the physical health side, I mean, I understand that we all want to look better and have more energy, but there just seems to be a component, at least from my perspective, that’s missing. Why are people so desperate to believe in this quick fix when we have the answer? You know, a good diet, moderate exercise, making some healthy choices and we’re going to be okay. It seems so simple yet that everybody’s attracted to this over and over and over again. We see it time and time and time again. Where’s the desperation coming from?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Well, because it sounds simple, Gabe. Follow a sensible eating plan, get regular activity, get good rest, you know, manage your stress. All those things sound simple, but they’re very, very challenging. And it really comes down to behavior change science. And most of us have ambivalence toward change.

Sponsor Break

Gabe Howard: And we’re back discussing why people are attracted to the quick fixes of diet and exercise fads. With the CEO of the American Council on Exercise, Dr. Cedric Bryant.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Most people hate change, and changing one’s lifestyle is monumentally difficult. And that’s why it really does require, you know, the old it takes a village. It requires that that support from, you know, family members, trusted friends, from professionals to help you to make those small, important changes that add up over time to allowing you to follow that sensible eating plan to be regularly active. So it those things sound simple, but they’re very, very, very challenging and most of us can’t effectively navigate that on our own.

Gabe Howard: What I’m about to say is a bit reductive, and I understand that, but, you know, eating well and exercising a little bit and just sort of maintaining our health just, just a, just a little bit does pay big dividends. That also kind of sounds like a quick fix to me, right? Just do the very bare minimum and you’ll be okay. Now, I know that the, the flashy media, etc. offers much better, right? You got a bodybuilder’s body. You’re able to do one arm pull ups, but that’s not reasonable for most people do. Do you think that the average American public understands that the average person just can’t do one arm pull ups? They’re not going to behave like

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Professional athletes and also not for nothing. A 50-year-old is not going to behave like a 20-year-old, no matter how hard they try. For the average person, do you think there’s that understanding or

Cedric Bryant, PhD: There isn’t, Gabe.

Gabe Howard: Are people just so far gone?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: No, I there isn’t. I think you’re hitting on a very important point. And that’s one of the reasons why these approaches really need to be more personalized and individualized. Because what is a realistic expectation for me as a as a 60-year-old compared to my sons who are in their 20s, you know, aren’t the same in their 20s and 30s, they, they are younger, they have different abilities. But that’s one of the challenges that we have, is that most people aren’t content with what they realistically can achieve. Most of us tend to be more aspirational, and we look at those images that we see that are the pictures of health and fitness in. Those pictures aren’t diverse enough, in my opinion, because you don’t have to look like Adonis to really have a good level of health and fitness. But that’s the misperception that continually gets portrayed. And that’s why the average person feels like, why am I going to exercise for 10 or 15 minutes and, you know, eat a little better and not see washboard abs and not be able to bench press whatever that weight is or, you know, whatever it might be. Because we have these unrealistic expectations that have been so consistently and pervasively marketed to us that we see that as being the goal when it really isn’t or shouldn’t be.

Gabe Howard: I agree with you. I really, really do. You know, I don’t have washboard abs. I don’t I don’t have a six pack, I.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: You do though, Gabe.

Gabe Howard: I do have a six pack.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: You know what? We all have a six pack. The problem for most of us, it’s covered with the with some layers of subcutaneous fat. So they’re incognito.

Gabe Howard: They’re incognito. I like that, I like that, okay. I don’t have a visible six pack. Thank, thank you for that. And now I feel bad. I’m. I’m the. I want you to hear it first, Dr. Bryant, I’m telling my wife I have a six pack the minute she walks in the door,

Cedric Bryant, PhD: You go tell her.

Gabe Howard: You just can’t see it, honey. But it’s under there. I. And I think that’s a healthy way to look at it, though. Thank, thank you for bringing that up. But what I’m thinking about is that most people don’t have a six pack, just a visible six pack, right? I mean, I.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Right.

Gabe Howard: You know, I’m in the locker room, I’m in the gym, I’m hanging out. I’m, I’m doing

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Right.

Gabe Howard: All this stuff, and I’m just not seeing this body that we think is the correct body. The body that I’m seeing. I got to tell you, it looks a lot like mine, right?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Yeah.

Gabe Howard: I’m a little bit overweight, but not a lot. I used to be a lot overweight, and I’ve done a lot of diet and exercise to get down to this, I, I do want to disclose that, but I would say I have a very stereotypical body, you

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Know, some, some parts jiggle that I wish didn’t, but they do. I don’t have solid muscle definition. But look, I can go on a ten-mile hike at almost 50 years old, no problem. I’m going to call that a win, right? I’m enjoying my life and I can move around.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: That’s a, that’s a huge win.

Gabe Howard: But many people looking at me would be like, I don’t know, dude, I think you need I think you need the quick fix. I think you need the six pack. I think you need the gym, the diet. It’s just it’s pummeled at me that I’m doing something wrong. And I’m not quite sure that I see it, but I tell you, I, I, I do want to look like the rock I do.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Oh, no. And that’s that. That’s that aspirational aspect that I’m talking about. But I do think we have to reframe our definitions of what’s an ideal body weight, what’s what is success, what is that win? And I tell people when I’m working with them, I ask them a couple of questions. Do you have any type of health related or medical condition that is negatively being impacted by your current level of weight? And if the answer to that is no okay. That’s good. Check. Are you able to do the things in life that you need to and want to do physically? Check. And are there things that your weight is causing you to feel with regard to yourself from a, from a emotional or psychological perspective? And if the answer to that is no, then you are probably pretty close to a pretty effective ideal weight for yourself. I think too often we’re so focused on the images, the scale, and not the kind of why I want to be at a certain weight. And the why should really be about being able to live the fullness of life as you define it, and not based upon some images that you’re being bombarded with.

Gabe Howard: Going back to where all of this can be very confusing. Of course, science tells us about that, that that BMI chart, right. There’s calculators all over the internet

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Where I enter my height, my age, my gender. Maybe there’s a couple of other questions thrown in and it tells me how much I should weigh. And if I don’t weigh in between those numbers, it’s a real problem for me. And I want to let you in. The audience know I don’t weigh in between those numbers. I am considered obese by that scale, yet I do feel okay. So now, should I use the science to tell me that I need to go on a on a diet, get a better exercise routine, lose weight? I think that is where people struggle, because even when they get away from the glitz and glamor of the quick fixes, they’re still being told almost constantly that that that were too heavy or that we have this problem or that something is too high, too wrong, too broken, need to fix it. And well, I do think that leaves us vulnerable. What are your thoughts on that?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Gabe, I’m loving your questions because actually the BMI is an example that that kind of evolution of the science is a great example in that BMI is actually really fallen out of favor because BMI is greatest role is being able to on a large population scale. It’s a very simple tool to use. But in terms of defining whether or not you, Gabe, are at an acceptable weight? BMI is terribly ineffective, and in many in the medical and health communities are starting to recognize and accept that reality and really aren’t using things like BMI as that way of defining whether or not one is at an acceptable weight. It’s really been used for years, really kind of that large population scale, but from an individual basis it’s terribly ineffective.

Gabe Howard: You are absolutely right, and I know you’re not surprised that you’re right. But yeah, the BMI has fallen out of favor in the science

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm.

Gabe Howard: Community, the medical community. And I’m just curious, is the reason that the general public doesn’t know this is because the BMI is pushed by the quick fix people, because that’s where I’m really seeing it the most. Whenever there’s a quick fix, a new diet, a new exercise program, the thing that’s going to make you look like the rock and under 20 minutes, you know, start this diet

Gabe Howard: On Wednesday and have a beach

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Yeah.

Gabe Howard: Body on Saturday. Right? They always promote the BMI chart. It seems to be everywhere. Is this one of the reasons that we can’t get rid of it? Because science just doesn’t have the budget to tell people that it’s no longer used, but the people who want you to feel overweight, who want you to feel less than. They’re still promoting it. Is that the cycle we’re stuck in?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: I think that is part of the issue and contributes. But I think a big part, and you alluded to it, is that science, the science community doesn’t have the budget to really, I think, bring forth the messaging, but I think it’s more than I think the science community doesn’t have the expertise to really effectively message and market the things that we know to be true. And I think exercise is a great example in that if you think about all the things, the wonderful things that exercise can do for someone, we have done a pretty miserable job of selling a great product. And I think what the scientific community needs to understand is that we really need to engage folks who are expert in marketing to help us with our messaging, because our messaging doesn’t connect with and resonate with real people.

Gabe Howard: Dr. Bryant, we’re almost out of time and we’ve talked about a lot of things that don’t work. We’ve talked about a lot of things to avoid. I do want to spend just a moment to steer our audience into what they should pay attention to. And what does work. If somebody’s listening right now and they’re like, okay, you’ve convinced me the quick fixes aren’t going to work, what should I do instead? I know we’ve alluded to it a little bit here but can you break it down for our audience what works versus what doesn’t?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: I think first and foremost is setting realistic goals. Finding, you know, something that that’s achievable may have a little stretch to it, but it’s but but also make sure that that goal think about the larger reason behind the goal. Why do I want to achieve X? Because I think really finding that why will give you a much greater level of motivation to hang in there when it gets tough. So I’d say start. Start low and go slow. It really needs to be kind of that, that approach where you’re starting at an acceptable level. Because what happens to a lot of people is that they, they, they go from 0 to 60 and they get so aggressive and they experience all that delayed muscle soreness. And they say this just confirms everything. I thought about exercise. It stinks. It’s painful. It’s, you know, unpleasant. And so if you can start low and go slow, you can gradually build up to it. And you don’t experience that awful you know, feeling that many people do find people that you can surround yourself with who are going to help to encourage and reinforce the changes that you’re trying to make. And sometimes that might require that you solicit expert advice as well. And I think most of all is to be patient with yourself and give yourself some grace, because it’s not going to happen overnight, and it’s not going to happen without a few steps back as you’re stepping forward. But just I always tell people, don’t seek out perfection. Seek out consistent progress. And over time you’re going to be happy with where you land in that journey.

Gabe Howard: It really sounds like the old adage slow and steady wins. The race applies

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Absolutely. Yep.

Gabe Howard: Here. And of course it’s a race, which is exercise.

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Mm-hmm, it is. But I tell you what, it is a race that that you get a just a magnificent reward when you, when you finish that race.

Gabe Howard: I love that Dr. Bryant, thank you so much for being here. Now you are with the American Council on Exercise or ACE, can you tell our listeners where to find ACE? A little bit about the organization and any information that they need?

Cedric Bryant, PhD: Sure. Well ace, you can find us at AceFitness.org is our website, and we are a nonprofit organization with a simple mission to get people moving. And I think because of our name having exercise in it, many people mistakenly think of it as being singularly focused on exercise and physical activity. But I like to think of it as getting people moving toward adopting and maintaining healthier lifestyles. And that includes nutrition, sleep, stress management exercise. And so it’s really about starting that journey and getting people to stick with that journey.

Gabe Howard: Dr. Bryant, thank you so much, and a great big thank you to all of our listeners. My name is Gabe Howard and I’m an award winning public speaker, and I could be available for your next event. I also wrote the book “Mental Illness Is an Asshole and Other Observations,” which you can get on Amazon. However, you can grab a signed copy with some free show swag, or you can learn more about me just by heading over to my website, gabehoward.com. Wherever you downloaded this episode, please follow or subscribe to the show. It is absolutely free and you don’t want to miss a thing. And hey, can you do me a favor? Recommend the show. Share your favorite episodes on social media. Bring us up in a support group. Sharing the show with the people you know is how we grow. I will see everybody next time on Inside Mental Health.

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