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It seemed like such a fabulous idea at the time. On an early Sunday morning I became engrossed with the infomercial for the weight loss system called The Firm. Like many women, I struggle with the appearance of my lower body, and this system boasted that it could lift, shape, and tighten like no other! I sat absorbed as I watched success story after success story saunter across my television screen dressed in tiny bikinis. It seemed so easy! The company sends three DVDs, a revolutionary two piece step for aerobics, and a planning guide for my weight loss adventure. I didn't even look at the price. I picked up the phone and I ordered.

160 dollars and three and a half weeks later, my package arrived. I unpacked it hurriedly, anxious to start the beginnings of my slim body. I looked dubiously at the two plastic steps. Could this flimsy plastic really hold my 160 pounds? Determined to make this system work I popped in the DVD. I was greeted by four overly cheery Firm instructors in tiny, spandex shorts and sports bras. For one hour I bounced, lifted, stepped, and performed a TON of squats and lunges. I finished out of breath, but I still felt positively about my purchase.

I awoke the next morning with my legs throbbing. Tiredly, I put the second DVD in and began the day's workout. In the middle of a weighted and particularly enthusiastic squat thrust, the little plastic step, the cornerstone of the Firm program,cracked in half. I toppled to the floor, and the weights came with me. I twisted my ankle, put two bruises on my right thigh, dropped a weight on a toe cracking the nail in half, and bit down on my tongue. When I recovered, I called the company to return the product. They refused to accept it since I broke the step. I asserted that the infomercial claimed the step could hold up to 275 pounds, and that I was in no way mis-using the step. They refused to refund my money, and to this day I have a broken plastic step sitting in my closet. The DVDs are covered in dust, and I have developed an aversion to cheery aerobics instructors.

The infomercial made it look so easy, so effortless. I learned a lesson that day. I don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for materials that break when I can work out for free at home.

Learn more about this author, Kristi Stevens.
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