If there is one thing that I’ve learned while being in the fitness industry for the past 10 years, it’s that everyone’s perception of how to ‘exercise’ and ‘be healthy’ is always a bit incorrect. It’s completely understandable. Information is constantly changing and it can be hard to keep up. Unless your are spending a lot of your days researching on different exercise studies and then researching opposing studies to the original exercise studies, you may have some outdated information. Despite some of this misinformation, there are some consistent so called ‘facts’ that I hear at least once a month. Whether it’s during consultations with new clients or just answering questions from people on a day to day basis, it’s funny to hear some of the same ones come up over and over. That’s why I thinks it’s time we talked about them.
Myth # 1 Doing sit-ups will give you a 6 pack
Don’t get me wrong on this one. Doing sit ups will strengthen those abdominal muscles that you have. Now if you have a layer of fat lying over those muscles than all you’re doing is building muscle underneath the fat. Abs are a small muscle which burn little calories, so crunches or sit ups do not help in a major way with fat loss. The best way to work on slimming down that stomach is to work on your diet. Now can you understand why I ask you for those food logs?
Myth # 2 Heavy weights can make women bulky
I can’t tell you how much hearing this myth drives me crazy. So many women, even after hearing me tell them this truth, still refuse to accept it as a myth. The truth is strength training helps decrease body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.Women have too much estrogen to build large amounts of bulk. In order for a woman to even get bulky, they would have to overload their muscles with heavy weight training. Like powerlifting overload. Please spread the word to all of your lady friends who are just too scared to come and train with us. Pumping iron helps us women pump up that lean body mass!
Myth # 3 If you want to lose weight, you must stay away from carbs
Sure, you can stay away from carbs and have some immediate results of weight loss. You will also get the side effects that come with depleting yourself of carbs. Good carbohydrates are the body’s first source of energy, especially for people who are active. Completely neglecting carbs will leave you sluggish, foggy headed, moody and also affect your energy through the day. Not too mention any weight loss you may get from avoiding carbs can come right back the minute you introduce them back into your diet. Now when taking in carbs you do want to make sure that they are good carbs, which come from whole grains and some fruits. The best time to ingest carbs is in the beginning of the day and after a workout. That’s right, go ahead and grab that potato!
Myth #4 Eating 1 time a day will help you lose weight
Eeek! Do you know what you are doing to your body whenever you eat one time a day? Eating just one meal a day can increased pressure on your digestive system to work through all that food. Your heart has to work harder to send extra blood to your gut, which can raise your blood pressure over time. Skipping meals can not only cause you to overeat, but it can also slow down your metabolism by elevating your blood sugar levels and ghrelin, a hormone that controls hunger. Maintaining this bad habit long term can put you at risk for developing serious diseases like diabetes, stroke or even heart attack. The best way to avoid putting yourself at risk of any of these damaging side effects is to focus on eating smaller, more frequent meals. Yay to more eating! Healthy eating that is.
So now that we have busted through these four myths, I expect to see food logs with some good carbs, pictures with 4-5 meals a day and some heavy weight dumbbells in your personal training sessions to come. You are officially informed and held accountable. Get Lifted!
