21 Day Fix

With modern beauty standards centered around appearing thin and toned, there are dozens of workout programs and fad diets currently available on the market. While these programs range in terms of length, intensity, and equipment, they all claim the ability to transform a person’s body into the ‘ideal’ body type. For this paper, I focused on three different popular exercise programs currently on the market; the relatively mild “21 Day Fix,” the longer, more intense “Insanity,” and the lengthy, notoriously grueling P90x. Each of these programs is unique, and there are key differences between them that influence the adherence of those who follow the program.

21 Day Fix The 21 Day Fix is one of the shortest exercise programs on the market.
Insanity is a high intensity program intended based entirely around body weight exercises. The program’s workouts are 30-60 minutes each, and are meant to be done six days a week. Insanity focuses on increasing a client’s cardiovascular strength and endurance by using high intensity interval training (3 minutes of work, 30 seconds of rest) in order to burn as many calories as possible within the hour. The program does not come with a suggested meal plan, but in order to reap the full benefits of the program, the exercise must be partnered with a healthy diet. Unlike the 21 Day Fix, a majority of people who begin the Insanity workout program do not finish. Insanity is not a program designed for beginners, rather it’s aimed at people who want to increase their level of fitness even
The programs vary in terms of their duration, intensity, and intended audience, all of which influence the percentage of people who stick with the program and complete it on time. The programs I researched ranged from as short at three weeks in the case of the 21 Day Fix, to as long as the 15 weeks for P90x. When comparing the length of these programs with their corresponding completion rate, it’s clear that completion rate is directly influenced by the length of the program (i.e. the shorter the program, the more likely a person is to complete it). Because the 21 Day Fix is relatively short, people find it much easier to complete. Longer programs such as Insanity or P90x have a much lower completion rate largely because of their length. From a psychological standpoint, it’s much easier to stick with something when the finish line is in sight. Particularly for someone who may not be accustomed to working out consistently, the timeline provided by the 21 Day Fix is much easier to handle than the daunting 90 days of P90x. Shorter programs may also boost people’s confidence and provide them with more motivation for the future. Completing an entire program, even if it’s just 21 days, makes people feel as though they have accomplished something. On the flipside, quitting halfway through a 90 day program makes a person feel as though