How to Tone Your Abs Up the Right Way Without Wasting Your Time Or Money

You've inevitably seen the late night advertisements talking of how Electronic Abdominal Stimulators can tone your abs up while melting off layers of body fat around your midsection. The ads claim that you can "get ripped abs quick" and that for quick muscle gain in the abdominal area, the stimulator is all you'll ever need. Then the inevitable claim comes of how using the product for x minutes is better than doing 500 crunches or sit-ups, and how your days of actually working for ripped abs are over. "Eat what you want! Never exercise again!" Sound familiar?

When these products first began showing up everywhere, many people were understandably intrigued by them. However, as time has progressed, articles in newspapers and stories in television news magazines have refuted the claims of the stimulator's infomercials. Gurus in the health and fitness industry predictably scoffed at the claims of the product and went on to say that the only way to tone your abs up and lose fat in your stomach was through diet and exercise. But many felt that method was too time consuming and physically challenging. So why not try for quick abdominal muscle gain with the stimulator? After all, many of the pitchmen in the ads talked of an easy "money back guarantee". So where's the risk?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) answered the question in 2002.

Following are excerpts from the July-August issue of the FDA Consumer magazine:

"...the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed complaints against three manufacturers, alleging that they made false claims in their advertising, seen in frequently aired infomercials on national television, shorter television commercials, and ads in the print media.

The unfounded claims cited by the FTC include the promise of 'six pack' or 'washboard' abs without exercise, claims that the devices will give users a trimmer waist or cause fat loss, and that use of the device is equivalent to (or better than) regular abdominal exercises, such as sit-ups or crunches. The FTC complaints also allege that the advertising claimed falsely that the stimulators are safe for all to use, and did not disclose adequately the possible health hazards for some people."

Feel the same way about these types of devices now? But don't think it stops with only the mechanical products. Magic pills, powders, "detox" tablets, and shakes are all advertised every year with multi-million dollar ad campaigns behind them. The ads appear on TV and in print, with testimonials from the average guy on the street to the famous celebrity. But don't be fooled: these people are paid for their endorsements and may very well use the product (for free), but they did NOT achieve the body they flaunt in the ad with that particular product. It'd be like Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsing an "abdominal muscle-building shake". Sure he uses it, but the stomach he's showing off is due to years of eating right and exercise, not to the shake.