We’ve all had sleepless nights when we turn on the television at 2am in the morning and we happen to watch an infomercial. Not just any infomercial, a fitness infomercial. It seems so easy, stay with this program and watch yourself lose up to 30 pounds within two months. It seems too good to be true but is it worth it?

We’ve seen the ones that promise you a six-pack just by doing hip-hop dancing. Or maybe your favorite is the one that produces a tightened rear end from a salsa routine. How about the one that makes you go insane with its specialized crazy cardio and strength routine. Fitness videos, equipment and its corresponding infomercial have been sold online, by phone and by COD for decades now. But do they work? There are a few rules about fitness crazes that may make you think twice before buying this made-for-TV programs.

At the end, it is all about diet. Even without heavy exercise, you can lose weight with proper diet. All these programs have fantastic diet programs and some come with a shake program as well. No matter how you look at it, calorie control is the most important factor to a good diet. It all depends on your routine and what you body burns. See a fitness expert or a personal trainer to determine the amount of calories you body needs daily. They have elaborate machines to measure body/fat ratio and other metrics. Once you learn your recommended caloric intake, your diet routine will perfectly complement your fitness routine.

What is “get toned”? People want to look “toned”. Ask a personal trainer that and they’ll look at you oddly. Their job is to get you fit and if you want, ripped. It seems like there is no quantifying metric to describe what toned is. What you want to keep in mind again is your body fat ratio. In order to get either fit or ripped or maybe even “toned”, you want to lose fat and gain muscle. This can be done with a combination of cardio and weight training.

Invest in home equipment. I’m not saying purchase a whole new weight set or even a giant elliptical machine. Bands, small weights, kettlebell or even a medicine ball will do. Even if you do purchase one of these seen-on-TV workout routine, having those small fitness equipment can enhance and supplement the workout.

Do those seen-on-TV workouts work? Yes they do. But it’s not just working out for the half-hour to hour as they suggest. It is all about lifestyle change. That is one of the motivating forces these videos try to teach you. You will need to be disciplined to do the routine daily. But the true war comes between you and food. Eating right and in moderation is the true workout. It also takes a good month before one sees results so keep at it, eat right and do it right. Consider seeing a doctor and a personal trainer for recommendations on a workout routine.

Image credit: Official U.S. Navy Page on Flickr