Do you happen to know any myth regarding to exercise? I happen to know 10 most common myths. Forget about “no pain, no gain“, that is an old news already. They still exist among us and have always been the reason some of us never really get to see our desired outcome and eventually just gave up. I got these myths from doing a long internet research. Some of them may sound familiar to you too. So here they are:
1. Longer exercise at low intensity will burn more fat.
The main focus in exercising for weight loss is the amount of calories burn during the exercise. The old fashion long and low-intensity exercise is great when you have achieved your ideal weight not when you are trying to lose weight. Remember that the faster you walk or run, the more calories will be burned per minute. But remember high-intensity exercise is hard to sustain if you are just starting. You can choose either to work your way up gradually which will be slower or begin with low risk high-intensity training with shorter duration on each session.
2. Work out hard and often otherwise, exercise is a waste of time.
This is the main perpetrator here. This type of perception actually keep people from exercising or even begin to exercise. I wouldn’t want to perform 500 sit-ups or run for 10 km everyday. I am very sure many of us will have weight problem if all the exercises are meant to be like this right. In fact, a regular walking is an exercise, gardening is an exercise, even grocery shopping is an exercise, for every 1 hour of these a week, you get to walk further away from the risk of having a heart disease.
3. Exercise is the only way to lose the extra weight.
On my recent post, I have mention that diet takes 70% of your weight loss mission. With the right diet, you will achieve an ideal weight. However, genetics do play roles in how we respond to exercise. 2 person will not lose the same amount of weight on the same exercise program. But do not be wary, exercising is only a part in your quest to health. Your regular physical activity is the most important factor in helping you to be successful in managing your weight in long term. I have someone I know who exercise once a week with high-intensity and spend the rest of the week with no exercise yet she is very successful in maintaining her weight. How she did it? She lives in an apartment with elevator, and she is on the 5th floor. She walks up and down everyday instead of using the elevator. That is a great example of how your regular activity can help.
4. Stay away from strength training if you want to lose weight, It bulks you up.
Cardiovascular and strength training are both valuable when it comes to weight management. The misconception over strength training is one of the factors most people get demotivated when they don’t see the result. Be realistic. You don’t have to look like a bodybuilder, a leaned and trimmed body is your actual goal. Lifting 20kg of dumbbell will of course gives you one massive bicep. Strength training helps maintaining your muscle mass and at the same time keeps the fat at a low percentage. Remember, the more muscles you have the greater is the amount of fat burned and reduced to maintain your muscles.
5. Home workouts are fine, but going to a gym is the best way to get fit.
Nothing against gym operators and this is just a review. Of course with all the hype and trendy facilities, it’s pretty convincing that going to the gym is the best way. With the fitness instructors to help and guide you along with all the ladies and the guys around ; ), you might have the motivation. Research however agrees that the “best” exercising program for you is the one you will participate in consistently. As the myth number 3 says, it is your regular physical activity that matters. Home is where you will do most of your daily activities. So why not home workout. Anyone can afford it. You just have to have a bit of discipline of course.
My only advise would be, keep that heartbeat of yours up. Did you notice that some overweight people can actually swim for a long time ? Yes they have the stamina and they can effortlessly swim at their OWN PACE and never really exerts themselves too much. My advise, if you are not breathing hard at least during part of your workout, you definitely are doing something wrong. Get your heartbeat going guys.
So what do you think of these myths? If you happen to have any other myths that you think is interesting or you want to place comments, you are welcome.
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