Fitness has never been so popular than right now, it seems that these days wherever you go you will see a new fitness book, DVD or show being advertised. All of which promise to help get you as fit as possible as fast as possible. There are thousands and thousands of these ‘fitness’ guides online too, all claiming to have new and fresh ways of getting you fit. However, many of these guides simply don’t work because they are based on old fitness myths that we now know aren’t true. Reaching your fitness goals is hard enough without being misled along the way. So, in an aim to help anyone who is trying to get fitter, I thought I would debunk some of the most popular exercise myths. Some of these can actually do more harm than good so please be aware of the following 10 myths.
Super healthy smoothies
Smoothies are packed full of fruit, often boasting that they contain more than your 5 a day, which sounds great. However, the fact that all smoothies are really healthy is a myth. The majority of smoothies, especially ones sold in supermarkets, have a huge amount of sugar in them, often more than fizzy drinks! This is because we forget that fruit has such a high sugar content and we focus more on the vitamins they contain. When you blitz fruit in a blender you lose the majority of the vitamins and just retain the sugar, thus making these drinks unhealthy. Doctors and fitness experts all claim that you should eat your fruit and drink your vegetables. This is because vegetables don’t lose their nutrients if blended up, unlike fruit. If you are going to have a smoothie then try and aim to have one with a combination of berries and vegetables as it will have less sugar than others.
Sweat = fat loss
‘The more you sweat, the more fat you lose’. We have all seen this slogan and for a long time we thought this was true. However, this is unfortunately a myth. Sweat has no real bearing on how hard you have exercised and how much fat you have lost. It is simply your body getting hotter and trying to get rid of the heat. Tracy Hafen, founder of Affirmative Fitness, explains that "You’re not going to sweat as much in 40-degree weather as you would in 80-degree weather". You will sweat more during exercise because you raise your body temperature but don’t let this fool you into thinking that you are melting off the pounds.
Crunches give you a six-pack
If only this was true, but sadly it’s not. Abdominal exercises are important in strengthening and toning your abs but cannot give you a six-pack on their own. The only real way of getting a six pack is to lower your body fat percentage to around 6-7% and to do this you have to eat very clean. The phrase ‘abs are made in the kitchen’ is completely true. Spend more time preparing healthy meals than doing hundreds of crunches and you will soon start to notice the difference.
The scales never lie!
Actually, the scales really can lie as being heavy doesn’t mean you are overweight. When exercising you are likely to gain muscle and this is where some confusion can set in. Muscle is denser and takes up less space than body fat. That's why a smaller, more muscular person may weigh more than a bigger person with more fat. Ignore the scales and focus more on how you look in the mirror and how your clothes fit, this is a more accurate way of measuring your progress.
Avoid carbohydrates
This is a huge myth. Carbs are incredibly important when exercising, regardless of your goal, as they fuel your workouts and help you to gain lean muscle. However, try to avoid eating carbs late in the evening, unless you have just worked out, as these can have a tendency to lie on your stomach. Eat them throughout the day and keep your energy levels up!
Avoid fatty foods
This is not true, fats are necessary to help maintain your healthy hormone levels and make use of the vitamins you have taken. Without it, you'll create a terrible environment for muscle growth as well as being hungry as fats also help you to regulate your appetite. However, remember to eat the ‘good fats’ found in fish, eggs and avocados not saturated fats found in cake and chocolate.
Cardio is the best way to lose weight
This myth has been around for a long time but is now finally getting put to bed. Cardio is and always will be a great way of losing weight, but it isn’t the best. Lifting weights has been proven to burn more calories than a cardio workout and keep your body burning calories for longer after you have finished.
Lifting weights will make you big
This is a complete myth. Although lifting weights is the best way to put on muscle it is also the best way to lose weight and tone up. Gaining muscle is an extremely hard thing to do and won’t happen unless you are trying to make it happen. Regardless of gender, lifting weights won’t suddenly make you big, it will, however, help you to look more defined, lose weight and increase your strength.
No pain, No gain!
This is one of the oldest workout sayings around even though it’s strictly not true. Working out shouldn’t be easy, it should be challenging but it should not be painful. Many people are obsessed with getting a deep burn in their muscles when they workout but this can often lead to serious injuries. You should be able to feel your muscles working but not ripping. So aim for a warm, swelling sensation and not a painful one.
Stretching will prevent injuries
There is very little evidence to show that stretching before exercising will prevent injury. This is because most people will do what’s called ‘static stretching’. This simply means standing in one point and stretching one body part at a time. A recent study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that static stretches that last longer than a minute can actually have a detrimental effect on performance. It is much more beneficial to do dynamic and ballistic stretching before working out and after. By doing this before you start you are able to get more blood flowing to your muscles, warming you up. By doing this after a workout you are then able to stretch out your tight muscles and reduce the lactic acid that is built up during exercise.
For more great top fitness tips visit the blog at www.fithire.com