Healthy Spirit Club E-Module #7

FITNESS MYTHS: SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION

You've probably heard of fad diets - such as eating nothing but grapefruit for a month to shed pounds. The fitness world has plenty of fads, too. Even the most fitness-savvy can be duped by fitness fiction. When the media reports misleading information, it can spread like wildfire before being disputed by fitness experts. Trouble is, once a rumor gets out, it's hard to squelch.until you realize it doesn't work. Here's a look at some common misconceptions.

Fitness Fibs

Remember that saying, "No pain, no gain"? Not true.exactly. Although exercise can cause a sensation of "muscle burn" during a vigorous workout and even some soreness a day or two after, this doesn't include muscle strain or joint pain. Remember, exercise should feel challenging or you are not working at a high enough intensity to elicit aerobic and strength gain. However, if you have a legitimate muscle strain or joint stiffness as a result of your exercise program, you may be performing the movements incorrectly. Stop the program and ask for assistance from an exercise physiologist.

Aerobic exercise is all that matters. Not true. In fact, a good, balanced exercise program includes flexibility training (stretching) and strength training.

Women who strength train will bulk up. Also, not true. Your goal isn't to become a bodybuilder - you just want to improve your strength and muscle tone. But you don't want the bulky look of pumped-up muscles. Don't worry. Women generally don't have enough testosterone - the hormone that can develop bulky muscles in men - to develop large amounts of muscle.

Exercise has to be strenuous to be beneficial. Not entirely true. Although aerobic and weight training intensity should feel "moderate to somewhat difficult," you don't have to push yourself to extremes to get the benefits of exercise. In fact, if you exercise excessively (>5 days/wk), you run the risk of over-training. Also, alternate hard workout days with easier ones...and don't forget a day or two per week of rest.

Going to a gym is the only way to get fit. Not true. Any movement is good. You can fit a considerable amount of physical activity into your life by doing things you enjoy. Dance, ride a bike, or take a brisk walk on a nature trail. Plan a home workout using a fitness tape. It all counts. And if you're short of time, break it down. Walk for 10 minutes, three times a day, and you'll get the health benefits of a 30-minute walk each day. Remember, a calorie is a calorie so taking the stairs, parking further away from a building, and/or walking add up to weight loss.

Abdominal exercises will flatten your stomach. Sorry, abdominal exercises, such as crunches, are important for strengthening those muscles and improving posture; however, if you have excess fat in your abdomen, you won't be able to see the muscles, no matter how many crunches you do. There's no such thing as "spot reduction" or losing weight in one area. To lose fat, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn and participate in regular cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise for 30+ minutes, 3-5 days per week in your target heart rate zone.

Aerobic exercise will help you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism. Not entirely true. Your metabolism - the rate at which you burn calories at rest - does speed up during your workout and may remain elevated for a short time afterward. But it doesn't stay that way all day as a result of a couple of exercise sessions. You won't burn calories more efficiently from that double cheeseburger, fries, and milkshake later that evening. However, if you add strength training to your aerobic workout, you'll build calorie-burning muscle (lean body mass), which burns more calories than fat. As a result, your daily resting metabolism will increase over time.

Exercise makes you hungry. Fortunately, the opposite can be true. Intense exercise actually can suppress your appetite, at least for a while. Exercise also helps you control your appetite by making you more aware of how your body feels. Most of the time, the feeling of hunger is actually dehydration, so drink plenty of water. Focus on giving your body only what it needs - not more than it needs.

The sure bet

No magic pill or miracle-working exercise device will help you with your fitness goals. The reality is you have to be dedicated, and that takes hard work and self discipline. Be wary of gimmicks or fads. Make exercise part of your weekly routine, making excuses to exercise.not to get out of exercise.

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