False ‘fitness for no effort’ claims

I hate those advertisements that tell you how to get fit for no effort. I hate them for three reasons:

1. They annoy the hell out of me, particularly when heard just after riding home on the bike or running around the park;
2. They are usually aimed at women and are demeaning; and
3. They always sound like they are full of BS.

So the FTC has settled with Skechers about deceptive claims for their shape-up shoes. The details are here but the lesson is simple. If a claim sounds to good to be true, then it probably is.