When it comes to getting in shape, losing weight and toning up, the conventional wisdom can sometimes be a little weak.
The following are some myths that have more in common with old wive's tales than practicality.
Myth One: You have to stretch before you workout
Research shows that stretching before exercise actually increases your chance of getting injured and may decrease your
workout performance. The best way to prepare your body for physical activity is with a 3-5 minute
warm up of easy walking, light cycling or gentle movement.
Myth Two: Eating once a day is the best way to lose weight.
To the contrary, if you are trying to lose weight, it would be better to eat four to six mini meals throughout the day.
Eating small, more frequent meals stokes your metabolic furnace and keeps your blood sugar levels more regulated.
Eating a big meal once a day puts a huge burden on the body, and you are more likely to store more of the calories as fat.
Myth Three: The best way to tone is to lift light weights with high.
If toning is your goal, then go heavier weights. You must stimulate the muscle to tone it; therefore, you need to
overload the muscle with the right weight and intensity. Only with the proper load will your muscles become toned,
tight and strong.
Myth Four: Exercise turns muscle into fat.
Fat and muscle are two totally separate types of tissue. They aren't interchangeable.
People get fat when they stop working out because they continue to eat the same amount but burn off fewer calories.
As a result, their unused muscles grow soft while they simultaneously gain excess body fat.
Myth Five: You can lose fat by dieting alone (without exercise!)
You can lose weight simply by cutting back on calories. But combining exercise with diet will help you lose weight
more quickly. More importantly, it will help you keep the pounds off permanently. The majority of participants
in the National Weight Control Registry (a survey of thousands of people who have lost a significant amount of
weight and kept it off for years) report that a consistent exercise program is one of their key weight
maintenance strategies.
Myth Six: Weight training bulks women up and makes them look like men.
Weight training is one of the best and most efficient ways to reshape your body. If you are "bulky," then
blame poor diet or genetics. That's the likely culprit - unless, of course, you're taking anabolic steroids.
Myth Seven: Cardio is betting at burning fat than weight training.
Doing marathon cardio sessions will shed some body fat, but too much will compromise your muscles.
Once you start losing muscle mass, your body becomes less able to burn body fat. Even worse, your body gets soft
and saggy.
To reduce body fat, use efficient weight training, proper amounts of cardiovascular exercise,
and a nutritious diet plan that places you in somewhat of a calorie deficit (less than maintenance).
Myth Eight: If you want a flat stomach, you must do abdominal exercises every day.
If your stomach protrudes over your pants, and you long for a flat stomach or coveted six-pack, you'll need to
manage your caloric intake carefully to shed the excess fat. Exercise alone won't do it!
Myth Nine: Muscle weighs more than fat
A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat! However, muscle is about three times smaller in volume than fat.
(Example: a pound of filet mignon takes up significantly less space than a pound of ground beef.)
Put another way, a women with 18 percent body fat will be two to three dress sizes smaller than a women with 35
percent body fat, even if they weigh the same.
Myth Ten: As you age, you automatically get fat.
This is perhaps the worst lie ever perpetrated against humankind.
You do not have to gain weight as you get older. Sure, your metabolism may decline,
but proper nutrition and regular exercise can counter that.
By Dr. Randi Fredricks, Ph.D.
