Advertising and the internet have exploded on the scene without giving people the curriculum and the tools to debunk all the bull. There are three categories of fitness “facts”:

1. General public “facts”– this is what advertising, industries and passed down information imposes on the minds of the public for their own financial gains or created by weak minded individuals.
2. Gym/Bro “facts” – often spouted by countless gym neophytes, long time fitness enthusiasts, fitness buffs, instructors, and trainers. These are loaded with a mixture of general public information and gym dogma, built on years of analogies, remote personal stories and part truths.
3. The scientific facts – The only safe, reliable, accurate information. In the worlds of sports science, physiology, kinesiology, anatomy, microbiology, biochemistry, and physical therapy.  There have been hundreds of thousands of peer-reviewed double-blind human studies.  From these we can compile and apply true, safe and effective scientific FACTS, the only kind of information which should be applied to long term human wellness goals

The scientific facts allow us the knowledge and critical thinking to dispel many of the myths and falsehoods which waste peoples time, create counterproductive mindsets, undermine health goals and over time often results in crippling damage.

The following are a few of those fitness Myths which can retard our goals and wellness.

CAN YOU LOSE WEIGHT BY EXERCISING?

Myth 1

Cardio, CrossFit, boot camp and aerobic exercises burn fat and are better than weight training for weight loss

Fact

Cardio, CrossFit, boot camp and aerobic exercises DO NOT “BURN” FAT they “burn” blood glucose and stored glycogen, which you will replace in YOUR VERY NEXT MEAL. The fact is, less than 4 vigorous hours per day, as a competitive athlete, will not have significant effect on your rate of fat loss.  

Vigorous exercise and fat loss is a multigenerational myth stemming from most people’s severe lack of knowledge of human metabolism and efficiency.

However, increased muscle mass through progressive resistance exercise will result in an increased basal metabolic rate, that is, you will burn more fat even at rest. This effect is priceless for long term weight management.

In addition, visually we are made up of 4 main tissues, bones, muscle, fat and skin. As fat is lost, the loose skin appearance can increase. Weight training builds muscle to take up the loose space created between the bone and the skin as fat is lost, helping you to maintain a healthy look.

Exercise has many thousands of health and life quality benefits. Direct fat loss is not one of them.

Myth 2

A hard workout will help me to lose weight

Fact

Exercising hard is not a path to fat loss or fat loss maintenance, unless you are a competitive athlete training 4 or more hours per day.  You are an efficient entity:

• Your extreme workout may allow you expend an additional 400 or so calories in an hour. The more often you do this workout is the less calories you will expend
• Your workout will likely stoke your appetite
• Your body will adapt your energy expenditure around your daily caloric intake.

Expecting to work off poor eating is a distraction, a false understanding giving a false sense of security.  In many cases it had led to naturally slim individuals eating poorly and working out, and believing this is a solution they continue their poor eating until they have a stroke, end up on a cardiac surgeons table or facing cancer treatment.

Myth 3

You can work off a bad meal… Eating cake at a birthday so I’ll go workout out tomorrow.

Fact

That is entirely false, you can never work off a bad meal, it will be triggering fat stores long before you do that workout. We are very efficient creatures. The only good choice is to eat consistently well, and when you do indulge, get immediately back to your clean lifestyle and it will take care of the rest.

Myth 4

Exercise helps to Burn fat and undoes poor eating.

Fact

I must repeat this theme as it is such a hinderance to many individuals weight loss, maintenance and health. We can categorically say that exercise is of no significance in sustaining a healthy body weight and cannot undo the damage of a poor diet, even if that poor diet is not fattening.

Exercise can enforce your wellness mindset and has hundreds of physical and mental benefits, but unless you train 4 hours a day like a professional athlete fat loss is NOT one of them, and it will never undo poor food choices and eating habits.

Myth 5

You can burn off fat from a specific body part with specific exercises

Fact

Spot reduction is a mammoth myth. This was a great way for fitness gurus to sell exercise videos and classes. ‘Lose belly fat’, is a much more targeted and easier sell than, lose all your excess body fat so your belly fat will go as well.  Your body has NO MECHANISM to utilize fat stores from a specific area. Your energy pool is accessed primarily on genetics, and to an extent your diet.

BODY COMPOSITION, LOOK AND SHAPE

Myth 6

Fat can turn into muscle, and muscle can turn into fat

Fact

Fat can never turn into muscle nor can muscle ever turn into fat.  Fat is either stored in the body as reserve energy and it is utilized in the production of hormones or in various biological functions. There is no magical turning fat to muscle, as these hydrocarbon chains are not about to magically become an amino acid in our bodies.  If a muscular person stops maintaining their muscularity, but maintains the same caloric intake as their more muscular and metabolic active self, they will be ingesting excess calories, and this action will increase their fat levels.

Myth 7

Lifting heavy weights can make a woman bulk up and look “tough” and manlike

Fact

Weight training will NOT make the average woman appear tough. Testosterone is the muscle building hormone, which men produce in their testicles and have many times more off, this helps them to become much more muscular than women can when lifting weights. In fact researchers have found that women who lift heavier weights have a more streamlined and healthy appearance as well as improved health markers.  Anabolic steroids or natural hormone imbalance are the only ways for a woman to develop this “Manly” or “tough” appearance that many women fear getting.

EATING AND EXERCISING

Myth 8

Beginning a workout regimen will make you gain weight even if you are adhering to a proper weight loss diet

Fact

Working out will never make you gain muscle fast enough for your weight to increase while you are attempting to lose fat.

The average person can only gain 1 to 2 lbs. of muscle per month but should be able to lose at least 4 to 8 pounds of fat per month.  The weight gain in the first few days to a week may be attributed to some water retention in the sore muscles, but that will regulate itself quickly.

Any weight gain when beginning a workout is more likely attributed to, increased cravings and mindlessly increasing meals, snacking, increased portions, a generally poor diet and non-adherence to meal regiments.  Do not be reactive, your body is very able. Any workout you are likely to begin will NOT demand more calories, for the little 10% or more calories per day you may need to allow your body to use up those fat stores you are trying to manage.

Myth 9

You cannot work out with an empty stomach

Fact

The only issues connecting working out on an empty stomach are psychological and diabetic.  If you are healthy your body has effective stores of short term and long-term energy. 

Researchers have found that in fasted train (training without eating for a while, including overnight) blood sugar levels rise, without eating taking place, but from sugar stored in the liver.

Studies have even shown that fasted exercise can help you become “fat adapted” allowing for more effective and efficient fat burning capabilities.

Myth 10

You need to eat more if you are working out / working out makes you hungry

Fact

You do NOT need to randomly crank up your food intake because you are working a few minutes each day.

Your one 40 to 60 minute 200 to 400 calorie burning workout will not make you physiologically hungry, perhaps psychologically.  Responding to these cravings will unravel your weight management goals. Give yourself time, the fact is your body will adapt.

Initially you may believe that you should be eating more and this may feed your cravings. The fact is, once you do not fall for this myth your system will become more efficient over time and even decrease your cravings.  And need for energy replacement can comfortably come from existing energy stores. Even the much spoken about “optimal post workout nutrition window” has now been discovered to be anytime within 24 hours after each workout.  You should however, look objectively at the possibility of minor adjustments to your protein intake and stay hydrated during and after your workout.

These 10 myths have done more damage that is countable. Do not allow them to make you blindly throw away your wellness and years of your life. What you don’t know WILL hurt you.

You have the facts, memorize them, keep a printout, save then somewhere, contact us, whatever you do keep this information on hand, enjoy and live your life at its healthiest and fullest.