Fitness Myths – The Truths Everyone Should Know (Part I)

For many reasons, there is quite a bit of misinformation in gyms and at water coolers all over about what it takes to get in shape, lose some weight or how to work out. Wives tales, century old remedies handed down, gym member to gym member, or some "experts" newest get lean quick scheme. Buy into them and I promise nothing more than confusion as they will most likely contradict one another at some point. Follow the science! Keep it simple!
Myth #1 - Women who lift weights will develop big masculine muscles.
Absolutely NOT. Simple truth, the amount of muscle a man carries is directly related to the amount of male hormones produced. Women simply DO NOT have enough of it to make their muscles massive, unless they are into serious weight lifting or are chemically enhanced. It is true that with extreme dieting and the use of and steroids, a woman can build muscle beyond normal ranges, but for natural women, strength training is a wonderful way to tone up, firm up and shape up muscles in a beautiful way. Remember, the leaner an individual is, the more muscular they actually appear. In other words, it is not really the weight training that is creating that overly muscular look, but more the diet and enhancement from chemicals. Weight training is a healthy, positive endeavor for every woman.
Myth #2 - If you don't exercise at least an hour a day, five days a week, you might as well do nothing.
Ridiculous! There is no such thing as an all-or-nothing approach when it comes to training. In fact, for many, more is NOT better at all. There are tremendous benefits to doing just a little exercise daily. Studies show that a half-hour walk three or more times a week significantly reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and boosts your energy and immune system. This says nothing for the benefits associated to increasing your metabolism and reducing body fat. This daily, short sessions ramp up your system and do wonders for your physiology as well. Your mood, mind set and stress levels all benefit!
Myth #3 - Doing direct abdominal work will get rid of belly fat.
Let's kill this one quickly. There is NO SUCH THING as spot reduction. Ignore the infomercials! Direct abdominal training will strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture, but being able to see your abdominal muscles has to do with your overall body fat levels. Decrease overall body fat through sound whole body training and your abs will appear!
"You can't pick and choose areas where you'd like to burn fat," says Phil Tyne, director of the fitness center at the Baylor Tom Landry Health & Wellness Center in Dallas. So crunches aren't going to target weight loss in that area.
"In order to burn fat, you should create a workout that includes both cardiovascular and strength-training elements. This will decrease your overall body fat content," including the area around your midsection, he says.
Myth #4 - Cardiovascular training will boost your metabolism for hours post workout.
While this statement is actually partially true, the lingering calorie burn, post cardio work, is not nearly as much as you might think! Although, your metabolism will continue to burn at a slightly higher rate after you finish an aerobic workout, the amount is not statistically significant. Some studies show only about 20 extra calories for the day. Build more muscle, increase your body's fat burning all day long, even while you sleep. This is the reason for resistance training.
Stay tuned for more myths turned truth!
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Jason J. Horsley is the CEO/Founder of eFitness for Life an online fitness and nutrition coaching solution that provides an affordable, convenient alternative to conventional, expensive dietitians and personal training. Through both eFitness for Life and Health and Wealth for Life, Jason is using his 15+ years in the fitness industry to help individuals across the globe not only look better, but feel better and live longer. The eFitness for Life team is made up of coaches/trainers around the US, working with clients throughout the world via the World Wide Web and the state-of-the-art eFitnessTracker software!