myths about weight loss

aerobics

Many people are misinformed and sometimes deliberately misled by promises from the weight loss industry. One of the most common claims are “Dramatic Weight Loss” with products like “The Fat Trapper”, or “Exercise in a Bottle”.

The 7 most common fitness myths

Myth 1 : You are getting stronger and fitter whilst you exercise.
Truth : Your muscles are rebuilding whilst you rest from exercise. Exercise is a kind of stress on your body and it's only after exercise that your body begins to adapt itself to this stress, though it is true that calories are burnt during this exercise. Furthermore training too hard or too much can cause injury and illness.

Myth 2 : The more exercise the better.
Truth : Following on from the previous myth it seems plausible that more of anything is better. This is definitely not true of fitness. What counts is quality not quantity. To put it another way it is not the amount of times a person repeats a particular exercise but the intensity of the exercise which gets results. Weight training should focus on specific muscles or muscle groups using slow controlled exercise for the quickest results.

Myth 3 : Weight training will bulk you up.
Truth : Maybe one of the most common myths women believe although this is far from the truth. It is in fact often the quickest and easiest way to become toned, leaner and generally more sculpted.
Regular Strength training, say twice a week, also helps protect your body from injury, tones muscles, burns excess body fat and helps prevent osteoporosis.

Myth 4 : You burn more fat when you exercise at a low intensity for a long amount of time.
Truth : Burning fat in the most efficient way is achieved by combination of short intense training periods and a nutritious diet. The most efficient calorie burner and fat burner is weight training and short hard sessions of 20-60 mins are much more productive than a slow pace over a long time.

Myth 5 : Specific exercises will cause spot reduction
Truth : While many exercise devices are marketed reduce or tone specific body parts this is simply not true. The science behind this is that when blood glucose levels are low a hormonal reaction is triggered to metabolize stored fat for conversion to glucose for energy. When exercised muscles utilize blood glucose, cellular energy stores and blood fat for energy. Fat is used up from multiple places around the body, not adjacent to the body part requiring the need for energy.
However a properly structured strength and conditioning program when combined with healthy eating habits will result in a leaner body appearance.

Myth 6 : If you workout, you can eat whatever you want.
Truth : Unfortunately we are what we eat and exercising can't alter that fact. Much of the hard effort of exercise is in effect wasted if a healthy diet does not accompany this. There is only one way to be maintain weight and be fit and that is through healthy exercise and nutritional food.

Myth 7 : Sitting in the sauna helps you burn fat.
Truth : The real benefit of a sauna is that of released muscle tension. Whilst water is undoubtedly lost and therefore some weight, fat levels remain the same. If the fluids are not replenished then dehydration can occur so it is important to drink plenty of water before and after.

The Weight Slasher > Fitness Myths about Weight Loss

The 7 most common fitness myths

Always seek medical advice before you try to lose wieght