End Zone
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Explain the importance of being an informed health
consumer
Name reliable sources of health-related and fitnessrelated information
Name and describe examples of health and fitness
misconceptions and quackery
Evaluate health-related and fitness-related facilities
Describe the proper clothing and equipment that you
need for physical activity.
Evaluate printed material, videos, and internet resources
related to health and fitness.
What have you bought?
Turn to a neighbor and share when you bought
something and it didn’t do what you bought it for
 Turn to another neighbor and share when you
bought something and it actually performed the
way it claimed to do
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What is Quackery?
Quackery is a method of advertising or
selling that uses false claims to lure
people into buying products that are
worthless or even harmful.
What is a quack, fraud, or con?
A quack is a person who practices quackery
 A fraud is a person who practices and is guilty of
quackery
 A con is one who practices fraud to try to deceive
you and get you to buy products or services that
they know are ineffective or even harmful
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Detecting Quackery and Fraud
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Check Credentials
Be Wary of Advisors Who Sell Products
Check the Organizations of the Experts You Consult
Be Wary of Those Who Promise Immediate Results
Be Suspicious of Sale Pitches that Promise Results
Too Good to Be True
Be Cautious About Mail-Order and Internet Sales
Be Wary of Product Claims
Be Wary of Untested Products
Health Quackery
Food supplements are products that are not a
part of the typical diet but is added to the
regular diet.
 Sports supplements are products sold to
enhance athletic performance.
 Fad diets are nutritionally unbalanced and
promise immediate results.
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Fitness Quackery
Passive exercises are ineffective and use
outside forces or machines rather than using
your own muscles to use your body
 Figure Wrapping is wearing nonporous
garments or special baths to lose weight
 Spot Reducing is doing an exercise to remove
fat in a specific location on your body
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Evaluating Health Clubs
Join on a pay-as-you go basis, if possible
 Choose a well-established club
 Make a trial visit to the club
 Choose a club that meets your personal needs
 Consider special medical needs
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Special Clothing and Equipment
Wear comfortable, safe and inexpensive clothing
 Consider inexpensive home equipment
 Consider your personal needs before buying
equipment
 Be sure before you buy
 Make sure you have the space to put the
equipment
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Evaluating Books and Articles
Consider the credentials of the author
 Check for sound information
 The recommended exercises should be safe and
effective
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Evaluating Exercise Videos
Apply the same guidelines as recommended for
books and articles.
 Choose a video that includes appropriate warmup and cool-down exercises
 Make sure the video contains only safe exercises
 Choose a video that rotates the use of muscle
groups and all parts of fitness
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Evaluating Exercise Videos cont.
Choose a video that is appropriate for all ability
levels
 Make sure the exercises start gradually and
progress in intensity
 Choose a video with a fun and interesting routine.
 If the video does not meet all of these guidelines,
modify it.
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Evaluating Internet Resources
Who developed the Website?
 Does the Website sell products?
 Do you recognize any suspicious
techniques?
 Do experts find the Website credible?
 How can we tell if an organization is a
Reliable Consumer Agency?
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