After I wrote a post a couple of days ago regarding how both cycling and running are excellent forms of cardiovascular activity, despite a common misperception that running is more effective cardio-wise, the topic prompted me to consider just how many myths exist in the fitness world.
Granted, myths exist in every realm. But, I do think there are a few more associated with the concept of exercise as opposed to other specific domains, so I thought it might be interesting to share with you some common myths about exercising that are not true whatsoever. This information comes from mayoclinichealthsystem.org.
“Myth 1: Stick solely to cardio for weight loss.
While it’s true you should include 20–30 minutes of cardio into your workout routine, focusing solely on cardio will not transform your body as quickly or as dramatically as you would think. People perceive cardio as the ultimate solution because their heart rate is up. But in reality, you need to incorporate both cardio and strength training into your workout schedule. Strength training builds muscles and maximizes your cardio routine. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body is going to burn, especially during cardio.
“Myth 2: Heavy weights will bulk me up.
You may have heard this in the weight room from time to time. Some people, particularly women, are concerned that adding strength training will build muscle bulk to the point they will look like a bodybuilder. This is not true. For a female to bulk up, she would have to do a lot of strength training — and I mean a lot. Women do not have enough testosterone to bulk up the way men do. Competitive female bodybuilders follow strenuous diet and workout programs that likely feature use of various muscle-building supplements.
“Myth 3: I worked out today, so I can eat unhealthy.
Sure you can if you want to undo everything you just spent an hour in the gym working on. Remind yourself that you can’t work off a bad diet. Food is fuel, and proper nutrition guarantees results. It’s pretty simple: If you want to lose weight, your calorie output needs to be higher than your calorie input.
“Myth 4: Stretching helps prevent injuries
This one may be surprising. If you grew up playing sports, team stretching before a game was a regular routine. However, stretching before or after you exercise isn’t proven to reduce your chances of getting an injury. Stretching is beneficial because it prepares the muscles for movement and eases your workout recovery, but research does not indicate that it will reduce injury. That’s entirely based on your form and movements during a workout. I recommend that people use functional, dynamic stretches like lunges and leg swings to help muscle movement during workouts.
“Myth 5: If the number on the scale isn’t going down, I’m not losing weight.
Many people focus on the number on the scale, but it is not the best representation of body changes. The number on the scale is a factor of many things such as how much water you’ve drank, what you ate and what time you’re weighing in. Often when a person loses a significant amount of weight, the number on the scale goes up because of building muscle from exercise. If you want to accurately track your weight loss and muscle development, I recommend recording measurements of arms, waist and thighs. And if you’re going to use the scale, weigh in at the same time every day,” the web page explains.
Check back tomorrow for part two.
Photo by John Arano on Unsplash
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