The Fine Print: How to Outsmart Supplement Marketing (And Save Your Money)

The $150 Powder That Won't Fix Your Pelvic Floor

Last week, someone I love deeply confided in me about their struggle with incontinence. They're navigating a vulnerable change in their body, and like so many people in similar situations, they're desperate for a solution.

So when they stumbled across an ad promising stronger pelvic floor muscles through a "revolutionary supplement system," they pulled out their credit card.

Here's the thing: I've had just about enough of this shit.

Vulnerable people, whether they're postpartum, aging, injured, or managing chronic conditions, are prime targets for supplement companies using predatory marketing tactics.

And I'm calling it out.

This month, we're breaking up with gimmicky marketing bait and learning how to be critical consumers together.
My goal?
To help you save money, protect yourself from predatory sales tactics, and understand what actually builds muscle and bone.

Spoiler: It's not a powder.

Let's Talk About How Muscle and Bone Actually Work

Here's the unsexy truth that supplement companies don't want plastered on their Instagram ads:

You cannot build muscle or bone density without using your muscles and applying force to your bones.

That's it. That's the whole mechanism.

When you lift something heavy, do a squat, or carry your groceries up three flights of stairs, you create tiny micro-tears in your muscle fibers. Your body repairs those tears, and the muscle grows back stronger. Similarly, when you apply force to your bones through weight-bearing exercise, your body responds by building more bone tissue.

This process is called mechanical loading, and it requires one crucial ingredient: actually doing the work.

No powder, pill, or "proprietary blend" can replicate the biological signal your body receives when you physically challenge it.

Sure, protein helps repair muscle tissue.

Calcium and vitamin D support bone health.

But these nutrients are supporting actors, not the main event.

Without the mechanical stimulus, without the actual strength training, they're just expensive pee.

Reading the Fine Print (AKA The Part They Hope You'll Skip)

Let's play a game.

Go find any supplement that claims to "build muscle" or "strengthen bones."

Now scroll down to the tiny asterisk at the bottom.

Nine times out of ten, you'll find some version of this:

"When combined with regular strength training and physical activity."

Translation: This supplement does fuck-all on its own.

The supplement companies know this.

They're banking on you not reading the fine print.

They're hoping the glossy ad, the before-and-after photos, and the urgency of "LIMITED TIME OFFER" will override your critical thinking.

Case Study: The Vector Cereal Scam

One of my favourite examples comes from a sports nutrition course I took at UBC.

We analyzed a box of Vector cereal, which proudly claims to be "high in protein."

When you actually read the nutrition label, you discover that Vector’s portion size is 1 1/4 cups versus the traditional 3/4 - 1cup serving, and has roughly the same amount of protein as any other highly processed cereal with the same serving size which is to say, very little.

So where's all this protein coming from?

The milk you pour on top.

Vector didn't give you protein.

The cow did.

But Vector gets to slap "HIGH PROTEIN" on the box and charge you $2 more than Corn Flakes.

Sneaky? Yes.

Illegal? Nope.

Ethical? No, it’s all marketing.

Now, I’m not totally throwing Vector under the bus, I have a box of it in my cupboard, however I am eating it as a source of simple carbohydrates, NOT because it is high in protein.

Even Steroids Don't Work Without the Work

Let's take this to the extreme for a second.

Say someone takes anabolic steroids, actual performance-enhancing drugs that professional athletes get banned for using. Will they wake up jacked?

Nope.

Without extreme hypertrophy weight training, those steroids will cause a laundry list of gnarly side effects (think liver damage, mood swings, shrinking testicles), but they won't build muscle.

The drugs create an environment where muscle can grow more easily, but you still have to lift the damn weights.

If steroids, literal drugs designed to enhance muscle growth, don't work without exercise, what makes you think "Miracle Muscle Matrix Bone Building Buffer" will?

The Anatomy of a Predatory Sales Funnel

Here's how they get you:

Step 1: Target vulnerable people with a problem they're desperate to solve (incontinence, back pain, "mom pooch," low energy, etc.)

Step 2: Offer a "limited-time" training program for the shockingly low price of $29.99. (Wow! What a deal!)

Step 3: Once you're in, upsell you on the real moneymaker: a "supplement stack" for $150+ USD, plus shipping and handling, that will "ensure the best results."

Step 4: Sprinkle in some urgency. "OFFER ENDS IN 24 HOURS!" "ONLY 3 SPOTS LEFT!" "ACT NOW OR MISS OUT FOREVER!"

Here's the dirty secret: The program is rarely bought on its own.

Why?
Because it's hard. It requires consistency, effort, and time.

The companies selling these programs know this.

So they create a magical add-on product that promises to do the hard work for you. And because you're already invested (both financially and emotionally), you think, "Well, I've come this far. Might as well give myself the best shot."

Boom. They've got you.

The program itself might be legit. Maybe even evidence-based! But the business model relies on you buying the supplements. That's where the real profit margin lives.

How to Think Critically (Even When Your Brain Is Screaming "BUY IT NOW")

When you're in a vulnerable position, whether you're postpartum, in pain, or just exhausted, your brain is flooded with stress hormones. You're not thinking clearly.

You're desperate for relief.

That's exactly when marketers strike.

Here's how to protect yourself:

1. Pause the Dopamine Hit

Those "ACT NOW" timers? They're designed to hijack your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain responsible for rational decision-making) and flood you with urgency.

Antidote: Close the tab. Walk away. If the offer is real, it'll still be there tomorrow. If it's not... well, you just saved yourself $150.

2. Ask: What Does This Product Actually Do?

Strip away the marketing fluff. What is the active ingredient? What does the research say about it? Does it require anything else (like, say, exercise) to work?

Example: "This collagen powder will strengthen your pelvic floor!"

Reality check: Collagen supports connective tissue repair, but it won't strengthen muscles.

Only pelvic floor exercises will do that.

3. Read the Asterisk

Seriously. Scroll to the bottom. Read the fine print. If it says "when combined with regular exercise," you've just identified the thing that actually works.

4. Follow the Money

Who's selling this? Are they a registered dietitian, physiotherapist, or doctor? Or are they an influencer with a discount code?

Not all influencers are scammers, but if someone's entire business model is affiliate links for supplements, approach with caution.

5. Ask Yourself: Am I Buying a Solution or a Shortcut?

Real, lasting change, whether it's stronger muscles, better bone density, or improved pelvic floor function, takes time and effort.

If a product promises instant results with zero effort, it's lying.

The Bottom Line

Your body is remarkable. It's capable of adapting, healing, and growing stronger, when you give it the right stimulus.

That stimulus isn't a powder. It's movement. It's consistency. It's showing up for yourself, even when it's hard.

Supplements can play a supportive role, protein for muscle repair, vitamin D for bone health, magnesium for recovery, but they're the supporting cast, not the hero.

The hero is you, doing the work and seeking out the support to learn how to do the work effectively and safely.

So the next time you see an ad screaming "LOSE 20 LBS IN 10 DAYS" or "BUILD MUSCLE WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER," I want you to laugh.

Because you're smarter than that.

You know how muscle is built. You know how bone gets stronger.

And you know that nobody, nobody, can sell you a shortcut to something that requires effort.

Save your money.

Invest in a good program (or a trainer, or a pelvic floor physiotherapist).

Do the damn work.

Your future self will thank you.