In Credibility -- The Shadow Of Endorsements

FOR E-MAIL, THE question was unusually plaintive. Sometime back Linda Johns of Seattle wrote in about the HealthRider and similar exercise contraptions. Wary of gimmicks and bothered by the 30-minute TV ads, she and her husband nevertheless were curious - in large part because Covert Bailey was endorsing them.

"Why, oh why," she wrote, "is Covert Bailey doing infomercials?"

After coming to believe and respect Bailey for his "Fit or Fat" books and shows on PBS, many people vented their disappointment in fitness newsgroups on the Internet. A similar backlash hit Susan Powter of "Stop The Insanity" fame after she linked up (briefly, it turned out) with Nutri/System.

It all got me wondering about how we get our information about fitness. Whom do we trust? And whom should we trust?

Of all the actors, models, celebrities and so-called experts peddling some exercise thing, Bailey probably had the most to lose, reputation-wise, by venturing into the infomercial world. When I called him recently at his country home south of Portland, he described what happened:

The manufacturers asked him to try the HealthRider. He refused. They persisted. After four more tries, he said OK, he'd check it out. To his surprise, he liked it.

Then came the hard part: deciding whether to endorse it.

"I think it always puts a shadow on anybody," Bailey says. He worried that stations would no longer carry his shows, but figured the trend had already hit public television: chefs peddling knives and cookbooks, artists pushing their own line of paints.

Bailey decided that if, because of such an endorsement, a few people lost all faith in what he says, it's OK. "I'd feel sorry for them, because they're missing a good source of information. I don't lie and I don't cheat."

He makes a distinction between saying "the machine is good" and "buy my machine."

"I've tried to remain somewhat aloof from it and not make direct endorsements of it," he says. "In all candor, the line has been crossed occasionally."

Yet he still likes the HealthRider ("more and more as the years go by"), owns three of them, uses two of them - and even acknowledges some nice features in its competitors, such as the adjustable resistance of some models.

Not long after talking with Bailey, I heard from Rick Sullivan of Everson Productions, who wanted to tell me about TN2000, a new fitness program appearing on cable TV's Prime Sports Northwest (the times vary).

I'd coincidentally caught a recent episode of the show, in which host Jeff Everson tries to make weight training more accessible, especially to women. I liked Everson's straightforward approach. But my cynic antenna waved a bit when, after he'd gone on about a Perfect Flex weight-lifting belt, the closing credits listed Perfect Flex as a sponsor.

Was the belt mentioned only because the company was a sponsor? Or was the sponsorship sought after Everson decided he liked the product?

Sullivan assured me there was news value in the belt: the incorporation of Reebok's pump technology. He said that fitness professionals - unlike models or actors - wouldn't risk their career credibility by endorsing a mediocre product for short-term financial support. Still, TV programs commonly work with their sponsors, he said, on at least three levels: In "product placement," a certain piece of equipment might be used but otherwise not spotlighted. In a "commercial spot," the company pays for time to promote its product. In an "editorial endorsement" the host directly supports the item. Sullivan said that magazine-type shows such as TN2000 stay within the realm of "normal production procedures," unlike infomercials that emphasize the sell over content, information and education.

To a typical viewer, the lines may seem more blurred. I'm beginning to think that if I find myself disappointed when a trusted "expert" turns salesman, perhaps I should challenge instead my own naivete. Let the exerciser beware, and keep in mind the potential and often hidden bias of any bit of advice, whether it's on equipment, training, diet or injuries.

Including advice from newspaper fitness columnists.

Trust me on this.

Molly Martin is assistant editor of Pacific Magazine. Send comments to On Fitness, Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, e-mail mmar-new@seatimes.com or call 464-8243. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOTEBOOK

On the shelves

What's the connection between strength training and fat loss? What are some natural sources of those phytochemicals that are supposed to be so good for us? How can vegetarians meet our nutrient needs? These are some of the questions answered in a new book by Mercer Island nutritional consultant Susan Kleiner, "High Performance Nutrition" ($16.95, John Wiley & Sons). Co-written by Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, the book has an extended overview of current knowledge of nutrition, supplements, fluids, weight control and special dietary needs.

Signing up

At 16.2 participants per 100 people, Seattle has the most health-club members (by percent of population) of any metro area in the U.S., according to an industry trend report. Second is Atlanta at 14.8, followed by Los Angeles/Riverside/Orange County (14.2), Sacramento/Yolo (14.0), San Diego (13.4), Dallas/Fort Worth (12.2), Miami/Fort Lauderdale (11.4), Houston/Galveston/Brazoria (11), Washington, D.C./Baltimore (11), Minneapolis/St. Paul (10.8) and San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (10.8).

Key workouts

People who type should think of it as an athletic injury, says a ergonomics publisher in a recent Wall Street Journal article. Warm up for five minutes beforehand, with finger push-ups and hand massages. Rest about 10 minutes each hour and even just drop hands to your lap for five seconds every so often.

Send comments to On Fitness, Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, e-mail mmar-new@seatimes.com or call 464-8243.