How many times have you heard a friend say they were joining a gym to lose weight? Maybe you’ve done it yourself.
If you’ve spent long hours on a treadmill or exercise bike with little results, you’re not alone. Sometimes all it does is boost hunger and make you so tired you lose willpower. Worst case…it makes you think you can eat anything.
There’s no doubt that exercise is a good thing. But there’s a lot of bad information out there.
7 Common Myths about Exercise:
1. Extra exercise will make up for a poor diet.
People think if they work out twice as long or twice as hard, it makes up for eating foods loaded with sugar, fat, and salt.
That’s wrong. Exercise only accounts for about 20% of weight loss. The other 80% is all about eating the right foods.
2. You can “spot reduce” by choosing the right exercise.
When you work on a specific area of your body, you can bring more tone, but you can’t focus on specific areas for fat loss.
When you lose weight, it comes off your body pretty evenly.
3. You'll see instant results from exercise.
There’s no such thing as a magic bullet for weight loss, including exercise.
There's no shortage of reasons to start exercising that have nothing to do with weight loss. Working out will make you feel better. It will give you more energy. But to see weight loss results, you need to stick with it over time.
4. Running (and other cardio) is the best way to lose weight.
The truth is that doing 30 minutes or more of straight cardio is not as good for fat burning as doing a combo workout.
This is known as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – and it takes less time too.
HIIT adds short bursts of high intensity to stretches of recovery.
If you love running, you can use it to lose weight. But mix in sprint intervals that get your heart pounding.
The other thing to remember is that no exercise program will be successful if you don’t enjoy it.
Find activities that you truly enjoy that get you moving about 15 minutes a day. This is the answer that will be most sustainable.
5. Crunches will give you a flat stomach.
You might be relieved to hear that crunches and sit-ups are NOT my go-to ab moves.
You, of course, want to do core strengthening exercises like this one but you can still have strong abs hidden behind fat.
You must focus on losing fat from your entire body by eating clean or else your six-pack will always be hidden.
6. Lifting weights will bulk you up.
Doing resistance training and lifting weights is a great way to change your body composition. Building more muscle will burn more fat and boost your weight loss success.
And no, it isn’t going to make you muscle bound.
7. The number on the scale is what’s most important.
If you’re exercising with the idea of watching the numbers go down on the scale, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Exercise builds lean muscle, which can actually end up boosting your weight.
Instead of focusing on losing weight, you need to shift your strategy to improving overall health so that you FEEL better in your skin.
Incorporating healing movement into our daily routines is crucial in creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And now that you know the truth behind these misconceptions, you're one step closer to succeeding with your fitness goals!
You might also like:
6 Demonized Food That are Actually Good for You
Why Calorie Counting Makes You Fat & Sick
Yous in health and happiness,
Danette
P.S. Please share this with your friends and help us clear up these prevalent misconceptions! And I'd love to hear from you — which one of these misconceptions has held you back in the past? Comment below!
