It’s that time of the year again…
Summer is coming up, and people are working on their health and fitness goals – and I’m about it!
However, this also means all the weight-loss and diet culture scams are out there preying on these people, which I’m not about.
If you’ve been following my journey recently, you know I’m all for being ethical in business. Starting a business you believe in and selling to people isn’t bad. But using sleazy marketing tactics to sell something that doesn’t actually help people? No, thank you!
I’m here to call that shit out. And I want to help you recognize what these unethical business practices can look like so that you don’t get scammed or harmed. Today, I’m starting with the health and fitness industry!
Now don’t get me wrong – I love health and fitness and definitely consider myself a ✨health and fitness girly✨. But it took me a looong time to get here because of the amount of misinformation and scams online. So let’s help you not go through the same! Keep on reading for a few unethical business practices to look out for in the health and fitness industry.
Selling Detox Tea
Sadly, I often see people using detox tea when they’re trying to lose weight.
Here’s the thing: Your liver does the detoxing for you. You never have to buy anything that has the word “detox” in it or promises detoxing as the result.
There are no health benefits to detox tea and it can actually be dangerous. It’s a scam and a waste of your money. If anything, it’s just going to make you feel really sick and give you the shits.
Promising you the product/service will help you lose belly fat
If someone is trying to sell you something that will help you “lose belly fat,” it’s a scam. They’re either lying or don’t know what they’re talking about because you can’t spot-reduce fat.
“Lose ten pounds in one week!”
Can their product or service help you lose ten pounds in one week? Maybe. But is losing ten pounds in a week healthy or sustainable? No!
This kind of advertising is harmful. And since this isn’t a sustainable way to lose ten pounds, that weight will probably be gained back once you’re done with the product.
“Nutrition” shops
Have you been noticing a lot of weird nutrition shops opening up around you that sell smoothies and energizing teas? More specifically, the smoothies can be double chocolate, salted caramel, vanilla, etc., and are sold as “meal replacements.”
When I first went to one of these shops, I couldn’t understand what was so nutritious about replacing my lunch with a double chocolate smoothie. And I was right! There’s nothing healthy about it at all because these places are actually just a front for an MLM/pyramid scheme called Herbalife.
What’s wrong with Herbalife?
Herbalife isn’t regulated by the FDA, and its products have been shown to cause liver damage. While the people who work at these nutrition shops may seem friendly, their goal isn’t really to help you. What they’re really trying to do is make you a distributor so you can sell their products too.
And by the way, this goes for all MLMs/pyramid schemes. But we’ll cover that another time because it deserves a whole blog post in itself.
Unethical Business Practices: Health & Fitness Industry Edition
I hope this post helps you avoid all the health and fitness scams out there! If anything, it can help you get a better idea of what unethical marketing looks like.
But before you go, just remember: All bodies are good bodies. The health and fitness industry can be extremely predatory, and they have worked HARD for many, many years to make you believe there is something wrong with you so they can get your money. If you want to work on your health and fitness, then cool! Do it in a way that feels good to you, and avoid anything that makes you feel ashamed of your body.
If you want me to cover more health and fitness scams or talk about unethical business practices in other industries, let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading <3
