The truth about cardio, calories, and more...
Whenever I start a new health and fitness plan, I'm always
bombarded with what's usually unsolicited advice on what I need to do (or not
do) in order to be successful. It's overwhelming. We're taught to believe you
shouldn't eat before bed, you have to eat after a workout, you need to fuel up
on protein and skip the carbs—the list goes on and on. So, it's hard to know if
you're really screwed if you don't follow these "rules" or if it's
open to interpretation.
While some of these common suggestions and "myths"
aren't completely false or meant to be disregarded, many are definitely
misunderstood. So, we went to the experts to clarify exactly how these fitness
myths can be applied to reaching your health and fitness goals—and which can be
ignored altogether! After you check 'em out, don't miss our report on the 24 Things No One Ever Tells You About
the Gym!
MYTH: YOU NEED A
PRE-WORKOUT OR POST-WORKOUT SNACK
Depending on how hard or long you're working out, you may not
always need the extra calories. "People will do 20 minutes and reward
themselves with a caloric protein shake," says Kristin McGee author of Chair Yoga: Sit, Stretch and
Strengthen Your Way to a Happier, Healthier You. "But unless
you're doing major training or preparing for a marathon, you may not need it.
Listen to your body; if you're hungry, have a healthy snack but don't eat
before or after a workout just because you think you need to." If you know
you definitely need to refuel after a big workout, check out our report, 20 Trainers Reveal What They Eat After
a Workout!
MYTH: MORE IS BETTER
No, you don't need to spend two hours on the treadmill and then
another two hours weight training. Because guess what? There is such a thing as
overtraining. "The key is balance and specificity to your body. You want
to find a balance between healthy eating, cardio, and resistance work,"
says Nika Eshetu, pilates instructor and owner of Atomic Pilates in Los
Angeles. "When you overtrain, you risk injury and creating new imbalances
in your body that will cause you major problems down the road. If you're
injured, you can't train and you start losing all that hard work you've put
in." Whether your goal is sports performance, weight loss, or fixing an
existing issue or imbalance, the answer is the same: find a plan that's
well-rounded so you have a balanced amount of cardio, resistance, and mobility
work.
MYTH: YOUR KNEES SHOULD NOT GO
PAST YOUR TOES WHEN YOU SQUAT
Have you ever tried to sit without using your knees and just
using your hips? Try to even sit down just using your knees and not your hips.
"You look foolish," says James Shapiro, MS in exercise science and
NASM CPT, CES, PES. "Some people have tighter ankles than others and that
limits your range of motion with your knees for the squat. Olympic lifters, if
you watch carefully, actually have their knees passed their toes to maintain a
more upright bodily position to perform their movements. Are they crippled
after their lift? No; they're wearing shoes with elevated heels and also
possess more mobility in the ankles." There needs to be an understanding
that knees passed toes is not horrible—it's when knees travel way outside the
line over your toes when professionals start to cringe.
MYTH: YOU CAN SPOT TRAIN
Do you have that one area on your body that just drives you
crazy? Do you spend all of your time in the gym just doing inner thigh
exercises to tighten and get rid of the fat there? If you do, it's time to
stop. "Don't stop working the muscle but stop overdoing the one
area," says Eshetu. "Spot training doesn't exist. Yes, you can create
muscle in the area you're working but you will never see the results if you
don't lose the fat that's surrounding it." The way to get to this goal is
to change up your training program and challenge the muscles in different ways
to force your body to get out of the rut. Then you'll start seeing real change!
Certain tips can apply to different types of bodies, though; find out more with
these 17 Weight Loss Tips
Based on Your Body Type!
MYTH: YOU'LL GET BULKY IF YOU
STRENGTH TRAIN
MYTH: YOGA IS BETTER FOR
FLEXIBLE PEOPLE
We've all seen the impressive Instagram posts and totally
understand how it seems like yoga is meant for people who have Gumby-like
flexibility. But the truth is that even the least flexible people should
embrace yoga. "Yoga helps you gain flexibility. If you're stiff, that is a
reason to start practicing," says McGee. So, get on those yoga pants and
get started in a beginner class!
MYTH: THERE'S A "QUANTUM
LEAP" TO OPTIMUM HEALTH
Because of the instant gratification nature of our culture, we
all want instant everything. "The truth is, there is no quantum leap from
being unhealthy to healthy, from overweight to fit. There's no one huge thing
that's going to catapult you into being healthy and fit. There's no miracle
diet, pill, or piece of gym equipment that's going to get you there
overnight," says Amber S. Brown, personal trainer and of thegococollective.com. The only
way you are guaranteed to get healthy and fit? Commit to simple, easy daily
disciplines that will get you closer to your goal. "You might think, 'But
that'll take forever.' No, what will take forever is believing that you can do
one great thing and get yourself to your goal," Brown explains. "You
have to dedicate yourself to a routine that you can sustain over time." If
you start off by making a small lifestyle change—like putting in a 15-minute
workout every day or cutting out dairy from your diet—and you stay committed to
that, it will add up over time. For some mid-day ideas, try these 18 Lunch Rituals to Help You Lose
Weight!
MYTH: WE ALL NEED MORE PROTEIN
When's the last you ever heard someone complaining about being
sick from a protein deficiency? Probably never. And Brown feels that the
overconsumption of protein has contributed to obesity and heart disease. Why?
The meat industry. "Because animal protein is generally high in saturated
fats, it is one of the main causes of detrimental conditions like heart disease
and morbid obesity," Brown explains. "But because animal agriculture
is one of the largest businesses in America and farmers want to make their
money, this goes unheard and we're brainwashed into thinking that we need more
meat and more protein—when really our bodies are not designed to handle a high
daily protein intake."
MYTH: CARBS ARE THE DEVIL
Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Does
it seem like they should be avoided like the plague? No! Carbs are actually
essential as they're our main source of energy. "The low-carb phenomenon
has been ubiquitous in America for years now and it has made people afraid to
eat fresh fruit," says Brown. "It's not because low-carb makes you
skinny or fit. 'Low-carb' labeling gets you to buy foods claiming to be
low-carb but are still high in fat and other bad stuff that wrecks your
health." Complex carbs like fresh fruit, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn,
brown rice, beans, hummus, quinoa, potatoes, whole wheat, and pasta made from
brown rice are what our body naturally craves because it's what our brain uses
to function properly. "Carbs should actually be the highest nutrient
intake per day. Without them, you will be drowsy and devoid of energy—just avoid
simple carbs and anything that is white because they are practically nothing
but sugar so they lead to sugar highs and contain zero nutritional value. These
kinds of carbs are usually made with foods that are high in fat."
MYTH: RUNNING SHOULD BE EXHAUSTING
You think of taking up running and images of breathlessly going
uphill or miserably pounding the sidewalk might fill your head—but it doesn't
have to be that way. "The vast majority of running a person performs
should be a fairly easy effort and conversational pace," explains running
coach Kyle Kranz. "Runs should be ended before the runner feels like they
absolutely must end the run due to fatigue. Keeping the workouts easier and
shorter allows the runner to run more consistently, frequently, and recover
better."
MYTH: CRUNCHES STRENGTHEN YOUR
CORE
"One of the biggest myths I hear on a regular basis is that
exercises like crunches, supermans, and twisting exercises are core
strengthening exercises," says Doug Barsanti, MA, NSCA-CPT, CSCS and owner
of ReInvention Fitness LLC. "These are exercises designed to work torso
muscles in isolation, but the core is actually everything that stabilizes the
spine from the neck down to the pelvis and involves a lot of different muscles
all working together to maintain a neutral spine position." Think of the
core as a symphony of instruments that all need to play together at the right
time and at the right level. "Most of these 'core strengthening' exercises
are focused on making one instrument/muscle louder/stronger. But that doesn't necessarily
make the orchestra function better as a group or make the music any better.
Better choices are planks, side planks, bird dogs, or any exercise that
involves maintaining a neutral spine position, which can include strength
training exercises like squats, deadlifts, push ups, pull ups, and so on."
MYTH: SORENESS IS A SIGN OF A
GOOD WORKOUT
Most believe that muscle soreness is caused by lactic acid but
it's actually more of a contributing factor. "Micro tears and damage in
muscle tissue are what causes soreness," says Brandon Mentore, strength
and conditioning coach, functional medicine practitioner and sports
nutritionist. "Doing an intense workout can cause soreness and is
typically delayed between 24-48 hours."
MYTH: MORE SWEAT MEANS YOU'VE
BURNED MORE CALORIES
Your body is highly sophisticated when it comes to your overall
metabolism. Sweating happens as a result of your core body temperature rising
and heat does have an associative relationship to calorie burn—but to a certain
point. "Your body won't keep burning more and more calories to regulate
your temperature. That would be inefficient. You will either fatigue or have to
reduce your intensity due to what's known as thermal breakdown, or if you're
highly conditioned, your body will level off temperature regulation breaking
somewhat even with caloric burn," explains Mentore. "Even taking all
of this into consideration, the desired source of calorie burn would ideally be
fat. But there are many factors at play that unless you have sophisticated equipment
to measure you can't really be sure how much fat you're burning. We do know
that you're burning some but how much is difficult to tell and more sweat is
not a reliable metric."
MYTH: YOU CAN EAT WHATEVER YOU
WANT AS LONG AS YOU WORKOUT
At best, you may be able to maintain your current weight and not
gain extra pounds. "Weight loss occurs when
you burn off more calories that you consume. Exercise alone is not enough to
burn off eating 'whatever I want,'" says Steven McDaniels, director of
fitness and athletics at Beacon College. "The best thing to do is eat a
balanced diet and engage in plenty of movement throughout the day. Exercise in
addition to those two basic ideas will help you lose weight."
MYTH: A CALORIE IS A CALORIE
While this isn't technically a myth, it's often misunderstood.
Stephen Box, owner of Stephen Box Fitness & Nutrition says there are
several issues with calorie counting. For example, calories listed on labels
can actually be off by as much as 25 percent and different cook methods may
increase or decrease calories. "You also run into the issue of food
quality," Box says. "I can feed two identical people the exact same
number of calories, but if one of them gets all of their calories from
chocolate bars and the other from lean protein, vegetables, complex carbs, and
healthy fats, the second person is going to be far more likely to burn fat and
lose weight."
MYTH: YOU CAN'T GET IN SHAPE
WITHOUT MOTIVATION
Here's a twist. When it comes to fitness, motivation is nothing
more than a word, and it's used both as an upper and a downer. "For
example, when someone makes a New Year's resolution or decides that they're
going to get fit on Monday, they think they're feeling really motivated,"
explains Lindsay Paulson, health and wellness blogger and running and fitness
enthusiast. "Likewise, when someone gets bored with working out or sick of
it, the excuse is, 'I lost my motivation.' Or, 'I just need to get motivated
again.' Or worse, 'I wish I had your motivation.' I believe motivation is nothing
more than a word. What it really boils down to is making a choice—every day.
Fitness is either a priority or something we choose to do, or it's not. End of
story."
MYTH: BARBELLS, DUMBBELLS,
MACHINES, AND/OR KETTLEBELLS ARE ESSENTIAL
"I'm personally always preaching to my clientele and other
fitness professionals that if you aren't able to master your own body weight,
then you really shouldn't be working out with any other equipment," says
Shaun Zetlin, master trainer and fitness author. "In other words, if you
haven't perfected the neutral spinal position during a push-up or shoulder
plank, then you may not want to skip the barbell bench press."
MYTH: IT'S OKAY TO REWARD
YOURSELF WITH TREATS
MYTH: YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
"TURNS OFF" WHEN YOU GO TO SLEEP
Many people believe that your body's digestive system
"turns off" when you go to sleep, so any food not digested will
automatically be turned to fat. Not true! "Your body's processes never
shut off. It's true some processes don't receive as much attention, but
digestion and your body's tissue maintenance never turn off," says
McBrairty. "In this state, it can put the nutrients where it needs it
most, not toward other tasks requiring energy during the day. This
misconception was born from the observation that many people who snack late at
night tend to weigh more than those who stop eating after dinner. However, when
taking a closer look, you will find that many of these individuals who snack
late at night are doing so on top of their daily calories."
MYTH: YOU NEED TO GIVE 100%
EVERY TIME YOU WORKOUT
The idea that you need to go all out every time you workout is
not necessarily true. Performing periodization workouts, which is the act of
alternating the volume of intensity for maximum recovery can have incredible
benefits in the long run for your workouts. "For instance, adding a
moderate training session while keeping your high-intensity training sessions
weekly will help you recover faster overall and help reach your fitness
goals," explains Zetlin.
MYTH: WOMEN SHOULDN'T LIFT
WEIGHTS
When it comes to increasing muscle size, testosterone is the
main factor. Men have 20 to 30 times the more testosterone than women, which is
why they can bulk up so noticeably. "But for women to reach monstrous
proportions, it would require them to do far more weight-lifting than the
average woman and have some sort of hormone
imbalance—either genetic or artificially induced, as with steroids," says
Anthony Musemici, co-owner of Crossfit Bridge and Tunnel. "In fact,
strength training will help women lose weight faster and keep it off in the long
run and, if you also do cardio, it'll help you retain muscle as you drop fat,
as well as prevent your
metabolism from slowing."
MYTH: YOU SHOULD MOSTLY FOCUS
ON SHORT TERM GOALS
"There are tons of myths out there about diet and
nutrition, and they're all different in their own ways. Even though there are
so many, I can always find one common trait shared by the ones that don't work:
they tend to focus on short-term results, not long-term effectiveness,"
explains George Foreman III, son of heavyweight champion George Foreman and
founder of Everybody Fights. "To make matters worse, the many diets and
food options out there can often overcomplicate things and confuse people,
making it harder to be healthy. It's a shame, because, I find it to be simple:
If you eat real whole food with a balance of lean meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts
and whole grains, you will get all the nutrition you need. If you eat these,
your body will digest it all, as opposed to processed foods, which your body
sometimes doesn't know what to do with. Over time, you will lose weight and
feel better, and that feeling will last."
MYTH: CALORIES ARE SET IN STONE
The amount of calories in a food or meal is a rough
estimation—and once you eat that food or meal it can be a different story.
"The thermic effect of food which is the cost of digesting a food accounts
for about 10 percent of the caloric value—sometimes more or sometimes less,
depending on the food," explains Mentore. "Your metabolic and
digestive capacity determines how many actual calories you'll be able to
extract so while that apple may contain 80-90 calories you may only be able to
absorb half of it."
MYTH: YOU SHOULD DO CARDIO ON
AN EMPTY STOMACH
There's a lot made of fasted cardio being the best for weight
loss—but you need to have gas in the tank if you want to have lasting results.
"Our bodies depend on the macronutrients carbohydrates and protein for
energy. It's not wise to run on an empty tank," says Heather Neff,
certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist. "This can cause muscle
wasting as the body will dig into our protein stores because there are no
carbohydrates to use as energy. The fat burning process happens hours after
cardio is completed. Fasted cardio also inhibits energy levels and
performance."
MYTH: YOU HAVE TO EXERCISE 45
MINUTES AT LEAST THREE TIMES A WEEK
It truly doesn't matter how consistent you are, if you're not
challenging yourself. "An effective workout is a workout in which
intensity and resistance are present in each exercise," says Zetlin.
"For example, performing a few rounds of a high-intensity interval
training (HIIT) for 10 minutes is more beneficial than casually exercising on
the elliptical at a moderate speed for an hour three times weekly."
MYTH: FATS ARE BAD
The idea that fats are evil is slowly being changed as the
low-fat diet crazes have steadily decreased over the years. "Healthy
fats—such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado and omega 3s—are critical to brain
function, hormone production and cellular repair," says Bruce Kelly, MS,
CSCS, CFSC, Pn2 and owner of Fitness Together. Get the complete picture with
our helpful insights into What
Happens to Your Body When You Don't Eat Enough Fat.
MYTH: LIFTING WEIGHTS DOESN'T
DO ANYTHING FOR YOU
“I agree that lifting heavy weights is very beneficial to the
musculoskeletal system. But what about light weights? Many people cannot lift
such heavy loads. Does this mean that they cannot achieve the benefits of
lifting weights? Absolutely not!" says Katy Fraggos, Owner/Creator of Perspirology.”
Studies are now finding that there are just as many benefits for
the body when lifting light weights at higher repetitions! "Also, don't
forget that 'body weight training' has the ability to change body composition
with virtually infinite amounts of exercises from which to choose. You can sculpt
long, lean muscles by literally using your own body weight and adding light
hand or ankle weights at higher repetitions." So, just because you are
aging, arthritic, or recovering from an injury, doesn't mean you have to stop
training. And if you're inspired by the pro weight lifters, don't miss these 7 Foods Bodybuilders Gave Up—But Don't
Miss at All!
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