How many fitness experts have you met? It is a fad these days for many under-qualified but overly-loud trainers to declare themselves as fitness experts and as a result, you can find every other Tom, Dick and Harry passing you some ‘valuable’ fitness tip – all of which will turn your life magically for the good. However, are you really sure as to how helpful these tips are? What if they are just another myth you need to bust? Here, I am going to talk of 9 of the top fitness myth which you must break because not everything which the ‘supposed experts’ speak is true!
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Treadmill vs. pavement or asphalt
You may have heard a lot of people saying that running on the treadmill is less stressful for the knees as compared to pavement or even asphalt. This is a myth. The only way to reduce the impact on your knees is by being sure that you really vary the workout. Don’t stick to just one workout. Run on the pavement, jog on the treadmill and do a little cardio. The knees would be just fine!
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Lifting weights can bulk up
This one particularly goes out to women who are skeptical of lifting weights because they have been told that it can bulk up. No, ladies, it doesn’t! Weight lifting will add to your body resistance and upper strength. It doesn’t bulks up. Bulking up occurs because of inactivity and bad eating habits. So, if you wanted the perfect figure with the right muscles and curves, go for lifting weights. They could do wonders to your figure. Of course, you can do a whole body training exercise as well to keep things in proportion.
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Every day is a must
You may find a lot of people telling you that you need to work out every single day if you want to see results. This again is a myth! Have you heard of the 5:2 dieting strategy? You take 2 days a week as off from your regular dieting schedule and that has worked for a lot of people. Further, there are various training regime which requires you to work on alternate days. You deserve a little break, at least a Sunday! Cut your body a little break because when you take that occasion off from exercising, your muscles will rebuild and your inner strength will shape again. So, don’t take that crap!
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Crunches shall crush the belly fat
Belly fat isn’t the easiest to get rid of. You will find a lot of people telling you that crunches can help you shake off the extra fat, but I am sorry to break this myth for you. You would need a lot more than just crunches to work it out. Crunches mainly help in strengthening the muscles in and around the mid-section area and can help in overall weight reduction, but it is impossible to pick the areas where you would want to cut down on the fat.
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Drinking water during exercises can lead to cramps
Definitely no! If you drink too much water just before starting your exercises, you are sure to feel bloated and uncomfortable. When you are exercising profusely, you may lose as much as 250ml of water. This is why you should drink small amounts of water 15 minutes prior to the exercises and even every 15 minutes during the exercise as well. You can even consider opting for a sports drink if you are doing heavy cardio.
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The more you sweat, the more calories you will burn
I have heard too many people tell this and for a long time, I believed it too. However, this is again a misnomer. Sweating is a biological phenomenon which happens in order to cool down your skin and to regulate the body temperature. It may or may not have anything to do with the amount of calories you are burning. So, if your aim is to burn calories, you need to do a lot more than simply sweat.
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Exercise early in the morning and on an empty stomach
How often did you exercise on an empty stomach because your fitness expert told you that you should do so? There is no real proof of the fact that exercising in the wee hours of the morning and that too on an empty stomach is the right thing to do. Ideally, having a little food may not be a bad thing because it will give you the energy which is needed for carrying out the exercises. If nothing else, make sure to have a glass of energy drink before starting with your morning jog.
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Stretching helps in recovering faster
While a lot of people choose to stretch after a workout and I do recommend it too because it is healthy for your body, it pays to know that it does no good when it comes to recovering faster. Stretching is good for your body, but it may not help in healing burned muscles. As per scientific researches which have been done, there have been no changes in the blood lactate levels and the rate of muscle tissue repair will stay intact too.
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Swimming is an exceptional weight loss
Swimming is undoubtedly one of the best exercises for your body and it can also increase your lung capacity and tone the muscles. However, unless you swim profusely and extensively, it may have little to do with your weight. So, don’t take swimming as a weight loss exercise, but at the same time, you need to know that swimming is definitely a healthy exercise for your body.
These are nine of the fitness myths which had to be busted. Now that you know the myth and the lies behind these supposed fitness tips which you must have heard a lot of times, plan the perfect way by which you can exercise and thereby get the right body figure which you have always craved for.
Everyone desires and deserves to stay fit and you need to put your best foot forward.