What is herbalife/juiceplus/forever aloe/etc...
So before I breakdown each of these products one by one - it is important to understand what they are and what they are for.
Essentially all of these products are the same, dehydrated 'nutrients' that are reactivated by the user when they add water/milk
The companies themselves all work in the same way.
There is the creator, who will ultimately always take a cut of any profits made from the company and its 'distributors'
The creator then advertises for 5 people to join him/her to make money and 'change lives'.
These 5 new people promote their products and then look for 5 more people - a % of whose profits will go to the person who referred them
These 5 people then find another 5...
... and so on.
Yes you guessed it... a pyramid scheme! (see picture)
And today we have these companies all over the world.
The products they sell are generally for weight loss, and 'sports performance' and are cleverly marketed to show how much they work and how quickly they do all of the miracle things a balanced diet and exercise couldn't do.
People who sell these products are in it for one thing - money - and some are very open about that, saying that they are financially independent and they want you to be too.
Yes money makes the work go round, we all have mortgages and bills to pay, but as a fitness professional you should do what you do to make a difference by imparting knowledge on people through the correct channels (oh look i'm doing that with this page!)
Sure some of these people make a lot of money and do very well for themselves, but at what expense? (I will cover that later in the week)
So what are the products?
The products are all generally protein shakes or 'meal replacements' that should cut your calorie intake but still 'give you all of the nutrients' you need.
some others have pills, meal plans and exercise classes! wow this sounds JAMAZING!
What makes these people qualified to sell me nutritional products?
Anyone who has the ability to sell can sell these products, some of whom are exercise 'professionals' but like I always say, knowledge can be misplaced even in the smartest of people.
The training manual they are given is a set of powerpoint presentations handed down from other distributors, no formal qualification from a reputable educational institute or governing body. Anyone can write a power point presentation and hand it out and make it believable.
Those who understand nutrition will know why these products should be avoided.
- Take home message - nothing beats good nutrition and exercise.
So hopefully this gives you an intro into what these products are.
For full disclosure, below are some websites for you to check out to see the marketing involved and the products they sell.
http://www.herbalife.co.uk
http://www.juiceplus.com/content/JuicePlus/en_gb.html#.VgAOU7SlLJs
http://www.bodyby-vi-uk.co.uk
https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=about_aloe
There are more, but these are a few to have a look at.
