It’s that time of year girls and boys! Time to get in shape. Whatever happened to that new years resolution, just toss it in the trash and start over. Here’s a great piece courtesy of Planet Shark Fitness on things & mindsets you need to junk or adopt.
Popular Fitness and Diet Myths That Need To Finally R.I.P.
by S. Hughes Founder, Planet Shark Fitness; Certified Trainer and Nutritionist
Popular misconceptions about working out and nutrition can damage your fitness plan; undermine your weight loss efforts; and keep you in a perpetual state of yo-yo dieting and despair. Here are some that FINALLY need to be laid to rest:
Myth – Strength training will bulk you up.
Fact:
Because muscle is much denser than fat, having more muscle on your frame than fat makes you look leaner NOT bulkier! There’s another benefit: one pound of muscle burns an estimated 50 calories daily whereas a pound of fat burns about 2 calories a day — so the leaner you get, the higher your metabolic rate. Working out with heavy weights increased exercisers’ sleeping metabolic rate (the number of calories burned overnight) by nearly 8%. That’s enough to lose 5+ pounds of FAT per year while you sleep.
What DOES bulk you up is over-eating, eating the wrong foods and yo-yo dieting.
Myth – Stretching before working out prevents injury.
Fact:
Stretching after a workout can be beneficial but stretching before a workout doesn’t increase your range of motion. Pre-workout stretching de-stabilizes and weakens the muscles and it might increase the risk of injury, making them less prepared for strenuous exercise such as weight-lifting. Instead do a task-specific warm-up that gets your blood pumping while warming up your muscles, joints and tendons.
In other words, if it’s “leg day” and you’ll be squatting, warm up with body weight squats, etc.
Myth – Doing crunches and other ab workouts will get rid of belly fat.
Fact:
You can do 1000 crunches and you still won’t necessarily get a six-pack. Why? If you have a high percentage of body fat, your abs will be covered with it. And doing other ab exercises won’t make you lose that belly fat either. Truth is, you simply can’t spot-reduce – period.
In order to get visibly toned abs, you need to reduce your overall body fat by eating clean and doing some cardio coupled with strength training for even faster results.
Myth – Never eat after 7pm.
Fact:
There are no ‘magic’ hours and 80% of what you look like is based upon your overall diet – NOT what you consume at any given time of day. Eating an entire pizza before you go to bed is not a smart move but neither is eating an entire pizza in one sitting – period. Since our body repairs itself during sleep, having a protein-rich snack before bedtime is ideal especially on days you killed it on weights at the gym. However, it’s also perfectly fine if you didn’t train that day. Best bets are slow-digesting, relatively low-fat protein sources such as scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, almond butter, etc. If you opt for cottage cheese or Greek yogurt you’ll get the added bonus of calcium’s ability to promote deep sleep.
Myth – Carbs are the enemy.
Fact:
Fat burns in the flame of carbohydrates and since all carbs are NOT created equal, why people fear them baffles me no end. Getting most of your daily calories from high-protein foods like meat, eggs, and cheese is NOT a balanced eating plan. You’re likely eating way too much saturated fat and cholesterol which raises your heart disease risk. You may also be eating too little produce and whole grains which can lead to constipation and bloating due to lack of fiber. While simple carbs should be limited, complex carbs rock!
For more info see: “Why Complex Carbs Are Your Body’s Best Friend” http://j.mp/QjB0AI …
Myth – Your weight matters.
Fact:
Weight is simply the number on your scale and if you really want to achieve your dream body, ditch the scale and focus on sculpting your body with weight training, how your clothes fit, how you feel, and how much stronger you’ve become. What matters is your BMI (Body Mass Index) – not your weight! A good old-fashioned $1 tape measure is a much better indicator of your progress than even the most pricey hi-tech scale.
Myth Cardio is the best way to lose weight because the cardio machine counts the calories you’re burning.
Fact:
Cardio equipment cannot accurately gauge how many calories you’re burning without knowing your age, weight, sex, and body composition. Look around your gym and see for yourself where the very best bodies are working out. It’s ALWAYS the free weight area – NOT the cardio section.
Myth – If you’re not working up a sweat, you’re not working hard enough.
Fact:
Sweating is not an indicator of exertion but simply your body’s way of cooling itself. It’s possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat by taking a nice long walk or weight training. Plus, by sweating so much guess what you most likely lost? Two words: Water weight!
Myth – Fat is bad for you, no matter what kind.
Fact:
There are plenty of good fats out there that are vital for good health plus aid in disease prevention. These include olive oil, avocados, seeds, nuts and flaxseed oil (to name a few) as opposed to the overly processed ones that give all fats a bum rap. Including small amounts of healthy fats in every meal/snack can help you to feel full longer and eat a lot less in the long run.
While these fitness and diet myths might very well keep circulating for years to come, the bottom line is they’ll ALWAYS totally undermine your ‘dream body’ goals and efforts and should finally R.I.P.
Whether you agree or disagree, I welcome your thoughts and appreciate any additional myths you might like to add and/or have questions about.
Yours in fitness & health,
S. Hughes
Founder Planet Shark Fitness
Made it this far? Then you are probably seeking to lose weight, get fit or already a fitness junkie.
Here’s a great contest for you!
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Thanks to S. Hughes for her great information. She has amazing insight into what works and what doesn’t. She gives ME advice via phone and email.
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
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Thanks for the illustrated clarification! Nice job.
Great article! Lots of awesome tips! My only comment is on the stretching stuff…I do see your point, but as a person with low back issues (degenerative disc disease…basically arthritis in the spine) who wakes every morning pretty stiff, I need to stretch out my back before I start any kind of exercise routine. It allows me to do what I need to do without pain. 🙂
Thanks for giving us the straight facts. I always thought that sweating was proof that you were burning a large amount of calories and that doing lots of crunches a day would get you abs. Something that I was seeing was not true.