Top 10 Common Fitness Myths

There are a few common times of year where we begin to worry about our health and fitness – New Year’s Day and the beginning of bathing suit season. If you really want to shed those extra pounds and inches you need to avoid these 10 common fitness myths.

10. “Exercise can erase my bad eating habits”

While exercise is a great start to getting fit, nearly 80% of your weight issues are connected to your diet. Write down how much weight you want to lose and how many calories a day you need to achieve them. Remember, to estimate how many calories you’ll burn in your average workout too and fill your food calories with healthy veggies, fruits, and lean meats.

9. “I can just tone my muscles”

Your muscles are toned already, that’s how they move your body! However, the  reason you don’t see them is due to the layer of fat that is covering them. To begin adjust your diet to start shedding the extra layer of fat rather than trying to “just tone up.”

8. “Women need different exercise from men.”

There is no denying that men and women are different, but we have largely the same body structure. While men and women have different strength levels it doesn’t mean our kinds of exercises should be different. Just remember to work out your entire body rather than focusing on one half or the other.

7. “Women should lift lower weights and do higher repetitions than men.”

Many women are concerned that lifting too much weight will cause them to bulk up. So they gravitate toward three pound weights that have too little resistance to change your muscles. It is important to choose a challenging weight and perform six to eight repetitions. Don’t worry about bulking because women don’t have high enough testosterone levels to lift the weight men use to bulk up.

6. “You should always stretch before exercising.”

This might surprise you, but stretching before a workout actually weakens the muscle by 30%. This reduces the tension and can increase the risk of injury, defeating your initial stretching purpose. Rather than stretching, focus on warming before your workout and stretch after you are finished.

5. “I can reduce fat in one area.”

Spot reduction does not work. Period. In order to lose weight your body reduces layers of fat all over your body. So rather than doing crazy amounts of crunches, squats, and push ups alone, you have to follow a strict diet to get rid of the layer of fat hiding the muscles underneath.

4. “I’ll burn only fat at my target heart rate.”

Watching the blinking cardio heart rate graph on your cardio equipment can be entertaining, but is probably largely inaccurate. You will only burn fat exclusively when you are sleeping, and as you can imagine, it isn’t effective fat burning. To help blast fat try a mix of high and low intensity cardio and lifting with interval training.

3. “I’ll burn more fat on an empty stomach.”

Technically, this is true. However, working out on an empty stomach can defeat the purpose of your fat-loss diet because the body will likely burn more nutrient rich muscle than fat in a fasting state. On top of that, since your body doesn’t have all of the nutrients that it needs, your body can’t function well enough to reach its peak performance.

2. “Drinking shakes are great for weight loss.”

When choosing a diet to lose weight you probably are trying to avoid sugar and empty calorie coloring agents. Those are a large part of shake mixes with a simple addition of cheap protein and vitamins that are unlikely to help you remain full. Rather, focus on whole foods with high fiber to fill your stomach keeping you satisfied with less longer.

1. “Eat only egg whites and not the yolks.”

Egg whites alone are almost fat free. With no fat your body will signal an insulin spike, causing hunger cravings and energy swings throughout the day. So eat the yolks.

Weight loss isn’t tricky, but it is a science. Avoid fads and ask a professional and watch the weight melt away!