Doing workouts is one of the best gifts that you can give to your body. When it comes to exercise, there are lots of myths or wrong information available on the internet. Fitness myths should be treated as a problem and it is advisable to get the right information before starting the workout. Here is a list of 10 fitness myths that should be discarded.
10 Biggest Fitness Myths
1. Loads of exercise make you lose weight easily
Looking to lose it by sweating it out in the gym? Experts believe that your diet plays a much bigger role than how you work out to make you fitter and healthier. That being said, adopting an active lifestyle cannot lose its relevance.
2. Fat food leads to a fatter you
Let’s break the one nutritional myth that still exists in the books of many. Cutting fat out of your diet could be the biggest mistake you are making.
Fearing that it might be doing you more harm than good? You couldn’t be more wrong. Fat makes a really important part of your diet, especially if you are on a Ketogenic Diet.
Healthy forms of fat like those that come from nuts, meats, and eggs keep you full for a longer time and reduce satiety thereby improving your metabolism. Start by taking a balanced approach to include the right kind of fats in your everyday diet and steer clear of all the misconceptions like a pro.
3. Spot Reduction
Two things that weren’t built in a day: were Rome and abs. All those crunches won’t flatten your belly, trust us! This one is one of the most common fitness industry myths, it has been deeply ingrained in the minds of beginners you get wrongly motivated to hit the gyms all the time.
Exercising the whole body and controlling what you eat is what will help you reduce weight and keep healthy. When it comes to toning your muscles, you will see the results of your workouts once you start losing some overall body fat.
4. Machines > Free Weights
Okay, leave the squat racks already!
Free weights are your best buddies when it comes to building a better range of motion through strength training. Machines work better for those who are prone to injury due to their lack of experience or for any other reason.
5. Strength training bulks you up
Ladies, calm down, please!? Your hormones will never allow you to bulk up no matter how much you pick up those weights.
Strength and resistance training is adding that essential lean muscle mass and the best thing about it? The more you build it, the more calories you burn when you are at rest!
Do a weight with this myth!
6. Drench in sweat and you burn those calories away
Let us go back to how sweating works. When your body’s temperature increases, you sweat to cool yourself off on its evaporation. Due to friction, your muscles produce heat when you exercise. Your inner temperature goes up but this also depends on the temperature of your surroundings, especially where you work out. If it’s too humid outside, you will feel like sweating more.
Chill, it’s not you, it’s the science doing what it does best. What you can do best? Don’t focus on the sweat!
7. More gym time is always better
Overdoing anything has helped no one, not even the best athletes in the world! Your body needs rest to get back up the next day.
Work out every day and you could be stepping closer to injuries. Taking adequate breaks in between exercises and keeping at least a day as a rest day is necessary for long-term fitness.
8. Work out and eat whatever you want!
NO! That’s not how it works, even if you have the best metabolism. This, being the most popular of the nutrition myths, is also the most exploited one.
Rewarding yourself on a cheat day is necessary, but overdoing it by indulging in the nasties is not. Refueling with food that assists muscle recovery should be your aim.
9. No pain, no gain
Keeping sore is not how you measure the effectiveness of a workout. It might be telling you something else though; fatigue and nutrition deficiency. If you are able to get more reps, lift better, and seem to have toned up a little, that is a better indicator of those training sessions that you have been putting your heart and soul into
10. You burn more fat on an empty stomach
It’s really time to lose this fitness diet myth. Work out on an empty stomach and you are just burning away crucial muscle mass, which you are really working towards. Not taking a good pre-workout meal is just depriving you of the energy that you would need to perform those reps and stretch those muscles at their best!
Conclusion
Apart from these above-mentioned 10 myths, there are many others that you need to watch for. If you are starting your fitness journey, then it is good to ask your trainer or any certified professional in this area. This helps to clarify the doubt that you have or may develop later in the journey. Knowledge is important, but what’s more important is the right knowledge. Hence, start your fitness journey without being worried about anything else. Whatever goal you set, you will reach there with the right workout and the right diet.
