When making any purchasing decision, it is important to remember the wise ol’ Latin words caveat emptor–or, as we say in non-dead languages, “Let the buyer beware.”  As Seen On TV products can do amazing things, solving life’s most frustrating problems.  But whenever buying a product–whether from an infomercial, online vendor, or brick-and-mortar store–savvy shoppers evaluate the claims made by that product and keep in mind the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”  This is often especially true of supplements making bold weight loss claims.

Celebrity endorsers for one such product are now under the gun through a $5 million class action lawsuit alleging they made “false, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims” regarding the product’s effectiveness.  Three of the famous Kardashian sisters, Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe, have been named in a suit alleging that they mislead consumers about QuickTrim diet pills.  Kim Kardashian, one of the spokesmodels for QuickTrim claimed that she lost fifteen pounds using the weight loss pills and that she was using them to get in shape for her short-lived wedding.

The lawsuit, however, claims that Kardashian’s statements are false.  The lawsuit reports that the key ingredient in QuickTrim, caffeine, is not an effective weight loss drug.  The suit cites the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in saying that caffeine is neither safe nor effective for weight loss.  Plaintiffs say that they bought the popular As Seen On TV weight loss aid based solely on the Kardashians’ claims that they were able to lose weight and maintain their celebrity physiques with QuickTrim.

Perhaps these emptors would have been wise to caveat.  Before buying the product on the word of a celebrity, they could have also checked the active ingredients in the product and evaluated the effectiveness based on clinical research and FDA guidelines.

For many people, the lure of quick results is just too great to resist.

However, people looking for real, sustained weight loss and body transformation can find healthy solutions through As Seen On TV fitness products like P90X , P90X2, and Shaun T’s Insanity.  These and many other Beachbody products combine rigorous, effective workout programs with healthy, balanced diet plans.  Whether we like it or not, the only real way to achieve real results is through a healthy diet and exercise.

Of course, those looking for instant gratification aren’t left entirely in the cold.  If you do not care whether you actually are slimmer, and you just want to look slimmer, or if you have a big event coming up and don’t have time to physically achieve the results you want, As Seen On TV shapewear comes to the rescue.  Slim T and the Slim Away belt are designed to help men hold in that spare tire, while the Kymaro Body Shaper smooths women’s back bulges and muffin tops.  You may not have time to lose ten pounds before your reunion/wedding/insert-dramtic-event-here, but with infomercial shaping garments, you can look like you did.

And you can do it in less time than it takes a Kardashian to file for divorce.

We’ve talked recently on the SeenOnTV Express blog about ways to look slimmer with no effort (Kymaro Body Shaper for women and Slim T for men) and ways to improve muscle tone with little effort (Flex Belt and Flex Mini).  Though there are many As Seen On TV exercise videos and equipment that are low-impact and moderate intensity, perhaps the hottest selling infomercial exercise videos are the extreme workout routines from Beachbody.

Among the best selling Beachbody videos are Insanity with Shaun T. and Tony Horton’s P90X.  Recently, Shaun T. released a new version of his popular Insanity workout entitled The Asylum, a thirty-day sports training workout.  Now, Tony Horton and Beachbody are expanding their offerings for die-hard P90X fans with the release of P90X2.

P90X2 is more than just a new set of workouts to replace P90X; it is designed to build on the successful transformation of those who have completed P90X by increasing agility and athleticism.  P90X was created to transform bodies into the best shape of their lives, replacing fat with muscle through a technique of Muscle Confusion.  P90X2 continues with Muscle Confusion but also incorporates Post-Activation Potentiation (P.A.P.), a groundbreaking exercise technique based on two additional years of research and development by the fitness experts and sports scientists at Beachbody.

P.A.P. essentially combines heavy strength training with plyometric exercise to engage more muscles during and after a workout.  This explosive combination increases stamina, agility, core strength, and overall athleticism.  P90X2 is not designed as a replacement for the original P90X; it is not simply more of the same.  Rather, P90X2 takes fitness to the next level.

In this video, Tony Horton explains the difference between the original P90X and the all new P90X2:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubc1AQwSi1k

Because the P90X2 workouts are completely new and different from the previous series, new equipment may be necessary.  When you order the P90X2 workout kit, you have your choice of three packages, depending on what equipment needs you may have:

• P90X2 Base Kit:  12 workout DVDs, 1 How to Bring It Again DVD, P90X2 Workout Guide, P90X2 Nutrition Guide, P90X Workout Calendar
• P90X2 Deluxe Kit:  everything included in the Base Kit plus a foam roller, two 8-pound medicine balls, a premium stability ball, and two additional extreme workouts:  V-Sculpt and Chest + Shoulders + Tris
• P90X2 Ultimate Kit:  everything included in the Deluxe Kit plus Tony Horton’s PowerStands

The twelve P90X2 workouts use strength training, plyometrics, yoga, and core strength exercises and routines based on Muscle Confusion, but they incorporate P.A.P. to take your workout beyond the original transformation of P90X and into increased athletic ability, stamina, strength, and agility.  P90X2 workouts include:

• X2 Core
• Plyocide
• X2 Recovery + Mobility
• X2 Total Body
• X2 Yoga
• X2 Balance + Power
• Chest + Back + Balance
• X2 Shoulders + Arms
• Base + Back
• P.A.P. Upper
• P.A.P Lower
• X2 Ab Ripper

Staff members at SeenOnTV Express who have used the original P90X saw phenomenal results with the original program and look to build on their efforts with the all new P90X2.

Look out now.  SeenOnTV Express is going to be too hot to handle and too fast to catch . . .

There are all types of pitchmen in direct-response marketing.  Billy Mays, Anthony Sullivan, and even Vince Offer (better known as “The Sham-Wow Guy”) have all become celebrities in their own right, simply by virtue of being top infomercial pitchmen. Other pitchmen are famous for promoting their own products:  Ron Popeil, Jack LaLanne, Richard Simmons, Susan Powter, Matthew Lesko, and Richard Sherer (the Video Professor) take the airwaves to sell their own programs and inventions.   Infomercial exercise videos have launched their own field of stardom with fitness experts including Billy Blanks, Shaun T, and Chalean Johnson selling challenging exercise routines to devoted fans.

Long before pitchmen became famous simply for being the visible, personable face of an infomercial product, marketers knew the importance of using a famous face to endorse their products.  Before pitchmen became celebrities, celebrities became pitchmen.

Stardom sells, and the following lists includes some of the most famous faces to launch infomercial celebrity endorsements.

• Models – Cindy Crawford (Meaningful Beauty), Christie Brinkley (Total Gym), Daisy Fuentes (Winsor Pilates), Vanessa Williams (ProActiv), Elle Macpherson (ProActiv)
• Athletes – George Foreman (George Foreman Grill and Everyday and More Cleaner), Hulk Hogan (Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill)
• MMA – Chuck Liddell (JackRack), Georges St. Pierre (Rip60), Randy Couture (Tower 200)
• Actors/Actresses – Chuck Norris (Total Gym), Mario Lopez (Ultraflex), Barry Williams/”Greg Brady” (TimeLife70′s Music Explosion), Susan Lucci (Malibu Pilates)
• Singers/Musicians – Jessica Simpson (ProActiv), Katy Perry (ProActiv), Justin Bieber (ProActiv)

As I look through this list, I’m noticing that ProActiv Acne Solution really seems to have a corner on the celebrity pitchman market.  I mean, who doesn’t sell this stuff?  Just for fun, I’ll go ahead and post a list of Celebrities with Formerly Bad Skin who’ve appeared in ProActiv commercials:

• Julianne Hough – Dancing with the Stars
• Jenna Fischer – The Office
• Alyssa Milano – Who’s the Boss, Charmed
• Vanessa Williams – singer, actress, model, disgraced former Miss America
• Justin Bieber – singer
• Jessica Simpson – singer
• Katy Perry – singer
• Alicia Keys – singer
• Mandy Moore – singer, actress
• Jennifer Love Hewitt – actress
• Kelly Clarkson – American Idol, singer
• Avril Lavigne – singer

Celebrity endorsements lend a familiar face to the infomercial pitch, giving television viewers a sense of trust and a brush with fame.  After all, infomercial products are designed to make our lives easier, and if it’s good enough for those accustomed to a life of luxury and the finer things, shouldn’t it be good enough for us?

Smooth, tan, hairless legs?  Check.  Toned, shapely legs?  Mm . . . not so check.  As my get-ready-for-Spring plan develops, I’m now saddled with the part I like the least.  Working out.  Time to get a beach body before I have to actually hit the beach.  Or the kiddie pool in my back yard.  Whatever.

Now, I know that working out releases endorphins, improves energy, promotes cardiovascular health, boosts metabolism, builds muscle, and all that good stuff, but the truth is, well, I’m really pretty lazy.  Some people enjoy working out, some people work out for better health, but me?  I work out so I can eat cupcakes and still button my pants.  Of course, with as seen on TV products like the Big Top Cupcake,  I may have to step up the workouts a little more (or buy the Perfect Fit Button, whichever).

In the SeenOnTV Express neck of the woods, Spring Break will be here next week.  That means that it is just a matter of moments, practically, until I will be forced to publicly unveil my legs below the knee (even possibly *gasp* above the knee) and my batwing arms will be displayed for the world as the tank tops come out of storage.  Because of the rapidly impending fabulous weather, I need a fitness program that works and works fast.

This?  This ain’t going to cut it:

I mean, sure, I could cover my calves and ankles with leg warmers, put a thick leather belt on over my briefs to try to camouflage my waist, and divert the eye of the beholder with the sheer height of my hair, but that would be cheating, right?

(And oh-my-goodness, is that guy wearing spandex capris?!)

As much as I dislike working out, I hate working out ineffectively even more.  If I’m going to go to the effort of exerting myself in any manner, I want to feel like I’ve accomplished something, I want to look like I’ve accomplished something, and I want to see results fast.  Luckily, Beachbody Fitness understands that some of us don’t want wimpy, spandex-wielding, 80′s style bending and stretching.  Instead, we want hardcore workouts with hardcore results.  P90X is designed to give you an amazing transformation in just 90 days (in other words, by the time summer vacation hits).  Insanity is a high-intensity total body conditioning program created by expert Shaun T. to give you amazing results in only 60 days.  For those intimidated by P90X and Insanity, Shaun T. brings Hip Hop Abs, because dancing sounds a lot more fun than a workout so intense you have to be “insane” to try it.  Beachbody trainer Chalene Johnson leads ChaLEAN Extreme and TurboFire–personally, I’m leaning toward one of these two fitness programs.

For those of you who spend your workouts calling on a Higher Power to help you through (and with these intense Beachbody programs, that includes me) Beachbody also offers BodyGospel, combining spiritual and physical fitness.

Now, if I can just get the motivation to actually get off the couch and DO the workouts, instead of sitting on the couch and writing about them, I may just be able to take my legs from this:

to this:

Help me get a beach body, Beachbody!

P90X and Insanity have just been added to our product line-up, and we have more BeachBody products coming soon.  P90X and Insanity are some extremely intense home exercise programs.  I should know – I’ve done them both (actually, just about to finish up the Insanity program this week).

They are tough, but if you really want results you’ve got to work at it.  I struggled a lot through both of the programs.  With Insanity, even after 2 months, the warmup still feels  like a pretty good workout, and I am absolutely wiped out and sweating like a horse after the complete workout.  And while I can’t speak for everyone, I’ve have been extremely pleased with my results on these 2 programs.

P90X is geared more toward building strength, while Insanity is to build cardio endurance and help you tone.  I didn’t stick to the diet very well (the programs come with a very detailed diet plan in addition to the exercise), or I would probably have had phenominal results, but here’s what I did experience:

• Lost 20lbs
• Went from a size 40 waist to a 36
• Went from doing 2 pullups to 15 (plus more curls, pushup, situps, increased resistance, etc)
• More definition in chest, biceps, triceps
• Better abs (still have a little bulge to get rid of right in the middle, but I can see abs and obliques now with some definition)

I did lay off the soft drinks quite a bit – still have 1 or 2 a week, so I am sure that helped as well.

Both P90X and Insanity are great programs, but you really do have to be determined and committed to get through them.  I’ll wrap up Insanity in a few days, take a little break for the Holidays, and get started again in the New Year.