As in most things in life there are myths and truths about fitness. Can you tell the difference between what is myth and what is truth when it comes to fitness?
Fitness and exercise leads to much speculation. When it comes to exercise there is a lot of "water cooler talk" about exercise such as our myth number 1: if you do specific exercises you can take the weight off a specific body part. Sorry folks but this is myth. You can't do a certain exercise and expect that it is going to work some magic on your hips, or on your buttocks. In exercise jargon this is referred to "spot training" and it is just not possible to predetermine how your body will use the exercise you just did. An example is that when you run, you are burning fat all over your body not just the fat contained on your legs. You can however choose to cross train making sure you choose weight training because you know that it will help to tone muscles. Doing sit-ups will strengthen your abs because it works those muscles.
Another popular myth is that if you are female and choose to lift weights, then you will bulk up like a body builder. The truth is that women do not have enough testosterone in their bloodstreams to build large muscles. The truth is that women tend to lose inches when they strength train. There are, however, many physical benefits for women who weight train including an increased metabolism, a decreased risk for osteoporosis, and increased strength; you will also lose weight; but sorry, you will not build bulky muscles.
Most individuals feel that for exercise to really show a benefit you have to exercise hard and often. That simply isn't true. There are many health benefits to doing moderate exercise activity including reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke. Even very busy individuals who can't seem to find a spare 30 minutes a day to exercise can find 10 minutes here or 10 minutes there to do something whether it is climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or doing some push-ups or crunches during your lunch break. Many office workers are turning to taking a brisk walk around the building at lunchtime. Any exercise, no matter how or when you can fit it into your business routine, is better than no exercise.
There is no magic pill or one exercise that will flatten your stomach. You can't get a flat stomach by doing abdominal exercises. You can slowly strip away the fat from your stomach by doing a combination of cardiovascular/aerobic exercise and strength training along with eating a healthy well-balanced diet to achieve the results you want. Abdominal exercises can achieve muscle mass in your abdominal area, but you won't be able to see muscle definition unless you strip away the fat that has gathered there by increasing your metabolism and burning calories. For this you will need a combination of aerobic exercises and strength training.
It is important that, if you want to burn fat, you watch the total number of calories burned during exercise and not just the percentage of fat calories burned. If you walk, bike or swim fast, you will burn more calories per minute of exercise, therefore burning more total calories over the entire time that you are exercising. It is not necessarily how many fat calories you burn during your workout but how many total calories your burn that will allow you to lose weight.
Perhaps one of the biggest myths in the exercise area is that of "no pain, no gain". You should not be feeling pain while exercising. Pain is your body's communication to you that something is wrong. Exercising does not need to be painful for you to expect a good result. You can breathe hard and sweat a lot especially at the height of your workout, and you may feel a slight discomfort during exercise and stretches, but you should not be in pain. There is a difference between muscle fatigue (feeling the burn) and muscle or joint pain which is a sharp and very uncomfortable pain experienced during movement. You need to listen to your body if it is giving you pain signals, as you need to stop what you are doing and rest so that you can heal.
What do you believe when it comes to fitness? Are you believing in fitness myth or fitness truth?
For optimal fitness I recommend regular exercise, good quality, low GI foods, adequate rest and relaxation, and a pharmaceutical-grade, broad spectrum antioxidant and chelated mineral supplement, with added Omega 3 fatty acid (again of pharmaceutical quality).
Dr Alison Grimston is a holistic doctor who works with complementary therapies and nutritional supplements. She only recommends the best, pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements, such as those on www.holisticdoctor.usana.com.
Disclaimer: The content of our website is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor relating to any medical condition.
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