Why You Should Ignore the Top 10 Fitness Myths
Whether you’re new to working out or have been doing it for years, you’ve no doubt heard at least one fitness myth that just isn’t true. Maybe your favorite trainer told you that you need to eat more before exercising in order to burn more calories, or maybe your friend convinced you that only cardio will help you lose weight faster. The truth is, there are plenty of fitness myths out there that hold us back from reaching our goals and feeling great about ourselves—but if we ignore them, we could be sabotaging our efforts with every workout session.
Myth #1: You Need To Train Like an Athlete To Look Like One:
There's no need to train like an athlete to look like one. A lot of people think that because they have a desk job, they can't get fit or healthy. This is not true.
The key is to find a balance between your lifestyle and your fitness regimen. To find the right balance for you, it's important to understand what kind of person you are and what motivates you.
There are many different ways to train for fitness, and there's no right way. There is, however, a wrong way: you can't neglect your health or your fitness in order to squeeze into skinny jeans. You don't have to look like an athlete or a bodybuilder to be fit, so focus on finding something you enjoy that also makes you feel good about yourself.
Myth #2: Work Out Until Failure To Get Ripped:
There is no need to push yourself to exhaustion in order to get results. The only thing this does is increase your risk of injury and over training. Exercise until you feel like you've had enough, not until it's too late!
It may sound simple, but one of the best pieces of advice you'll ever get is to listen to your body. If you're feeling too fatigued, slow down or stop.
Even if you can't tell how hard your muscles are working, a physical therapist can use a heart rate monitor to see what percentage of your maximum heart rate you're working at and know when it's time to quit.
Myth #3: If It Feels Tough, Go Harder:
Fitness myths may seem harmless, but following these rules can lead to injury or over training. For example, if your exercise feels tough, you should do less, not more.
A common mistake is to try to push through a workout that's too hard for your current fitness level by increasing the intensity and duration of an exercise. This leads to muscle fatigue and stress from working out too intensely.
Instead, work out for shorter periods at a lower intensity. This will help you progress and gain more fitness without over training or getting injured.
Myth #4: I Can Out-Train A Bad Diet:
You can't. No matter how much you exercise, if you're eating a lot of bad stuff, your body is going to feel sluggish and not work as efficiently. Plus, if you're eating more calories than you're burning off, your body stores the extra energy in fat cells for later use.
The same is true if you're going to be really active and not watch your diet. If you burn 3,000 calories during a day of hiking and biking, but only eat 2,000 calories worth of nutritious food then it's still possible that all that activity won't do much for your physique because you'll end up storing energy as fat on your body.
Myth #5: To Lose Weight, I Must Burn More Calories Than I Take In:
There's a common misconception that to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. But this is not true. The only way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume over time.
For example, if you eat 100 extra calories today but don't eat anything tomorrow, your net calorie intake for the day will be zero and your weight won't change. So don't worry about counting calories or eating less--just concentrate on burning more!
If you want to lose weight, focus on burning more calories and paying less attention to your diet. Yes, there are some people who will lose weight if they eat nothing but junk food.
Myth #6: Cardio Is Enough Exercise For Weight Loss:
Many people are under the impression that a few hours of cardio per week is enough to shed pounds. While running, cycling, and other forms of cardio exercise can help you lose weight, they don't work as well as strength training. Cardio exercises burn calories while weight-lifting actually builds muscle, which helps your body burn more calories even when you're not working out.
But doing hours of cardio each week won't get you anywhere if you don't also build muscle through strength training. Strength training builds muscle and burns fat at the same time, which is why it's so effective for weight loss.
People who combine cardio exercise with strength training have an easier time losing weight and keeping it off than those who do only one or the other. And because they've got more muscle mass to work with, they're burning even more calories all day long—not just when they're exercising.
Myth #7: All Protein Sources Are Created Equal:
The truth is that not all protein sources are created equal. Your body digests different foods at different rates and this can affect how full you feel, how your blood sugar levels fluctuate, and even how much weight you gain or lose. Protein powders are a good example of this as they digest differently than whole food sources like meat and eggs.
Most protein powders are made of whey and casein, two proteins found in dairy products. When you digest these proteins, your body turns them into amino acids, which it then uses to build muscle.
The problem is that it can take up to several hours for your body to turn whey or casein into amino acids—which means that when you drink a protein shake at 11 am, it doesn’t kickstart your metabolism until lunchtime or even later in the afternoon.
Myth #8: In Order To Burn Fat, I Must Eat Less Carbohydrate:
If you're going to eat less carbohydrate, it's important to make sure you're still eating enough protein and fat. As a general rule of thumb, aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight and 0.5 grams of fat per pound of body weight.
So if you weigh 150 pounds, aim for 75 grams of protein and 37.5 grams of fat each day. This is an amount that will provide plenty of energy while helping you build muscle while keeping your metabolism high.
Not only will eating protein and fat help preserve your muscle, but it can also keep you feeling fuller. As a general rule of thumb, aim to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, 0.5 grams of fat per pound of body weight, and make sure your carbohydrates don't exceed 3 grams per kilogram (or 2.2 pounds) that you weigh.
Myth #9 – Exercising While Hungry Leads to Fat Loss:
People often think that exercising on an empty stomach will help them lose weight, but this is actually a myth. When you're hungry your body will actually break down muscle for energy instead of fat, making exercise more difficult and less effective. If you want to burn fat, you should make sure you eat something before exercising.
This isn’t to say you should exercise while completely stuffed, though. Instead, make sure your stomach is at least half full before you hit your workout. This will keep you energized and help you get through your workout without sacrificing lean muscle mass for energy.
As with all of these myths, there are situations where exercising on an empty stomach can be beneficial.
Myth #10 – Strength Training Will Bulk Me Up:
Strength training will bulk you up if you are not doing it correctly. In order to prevent bulking up, make sure you maintain a balance between strength training and cardio. A well-balanced program should consist of two or three days of strength training with two or three days of cardio.
Conclusion:
Plenty further fitness myths exist. Some of these include the idea that more weight equals better results, or that a certain diet is best for everyone. However, it's important to remember that different approaches work for different people.
What matters is finding what works for you. If your goal is to lose weight, then eat less and exercise more. If you're looking to bulk up, eat protein and lift weights. And if your aim is general health maintenance and well-being, find a routine that suits your lifestyle while getting enough sleep and eating as many vegetables as possible.
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