Top 5 Fitness Myths

Long-term weight loss and workout routines are hard to stick with.  If it was easy, everyone would be fit and toned and the diet/supplement industry would be fading.   In our current days of the internet, there is so much conflicting information out there that sounds so believable, that it is hard to distinguish what is real and what is not.

When you start to get serious about some lifestyle changes, it's tempting to fall into some of these traps.  The diet industry and "Influencers" on Instagram thrive on people being desperate for a quick fix, and with some great marketing, they can fool you into almost anything.  Here's looking at you weight loss lollipops!

I compiled a list of some of my favourite myths that people seem to fall for all the time!

Here are the top 5 fitness myths:

1.  You don't need weights to "tone" they will just make you huge.

     I've addressed this one a lot, but it seems to be the most common one!  

     Think of it this way:  The desired "toned" look means you want to look fit.  The toned look has the curvature of the legs, glutes and core; and for women, this look is desirable! To achieve the toned and curvy look, you need to change the shape of muscles.  To do this, weights are needed to train the muscles and shape them!

2.  You can eat whatever you want, as long as you exercise!

     Ummm, no; that is not how it works.  You cannot outrun a bad diet!  You can exercise all you want, but if you're still not eating properly and not eating in a caloric deficit, you will not lose weight.
If you want to lose weight or even just lose body fat, you must intake less energy (calories) than your body is burning.  Even with exercise, if you're still eating too many calories, you will not lose weight.  (If you wanted to read more about calorie deficits and weight loss, check out my blog on caloric deficits HERE)

     Not only that, even if a bad diet doesn't show on the outside, (say if you have a great metabolism), it will eventually start to show on the inside.  Bad habits with diet can take a toll on your body and can result in high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.  

     

3.  You can get a six pack just by doing a bunch of sit-ups.

      Getting a six pack is so much more involved than just doing a bunch of sit-ups.  First of all, the abdominal muscle is a sheet of muscle that runs from your ribs to your pelvis.  Everyone has "abs", they are usually just covered by a layer of fat.  The crucial part of getting "abs" is to decrease body fat and build the muscles up.  Of course, you can't just decrease body fat over the stomach, it needs to be lost from all over, this is involved with diet changes and working out.  This is how young eight-year-olds can have a "six-pack", even though they don't do sit-ups, its because they have a lower body fat percentage and some core muscles.  

You have to also build the ab muscles so they are stronger and then they start to become more prominent as the body fat decreases.  It is a long process, so be patient!  

4.  You need to do "detoxes" to flush toxins from your body to make it healthy.

      It has been discussed/proven by many doctors and scientists that you do not need to "detox" to rid of everyday "toxins".  Detoxing has its place for people who are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions or are in liver or kidney failure and literally need their blood cleaned by a machine because their organs are failing.  Other than that, there is no purpose.  

     Your body has its own "detoxing" system.  Your liver and kidneys are responsible for detoxing and excretion of unwanted toxins in the body- it's their job!

     There is no such thing as a "detox juice" for 7 days that it will magically rid of all the years of bad habits and your body will be completely healthy after.  That is not the case, what needs to be done is a long term lifestyle change.  Increasing vegetables and whole grains, reducing excessive sugar intake, drinking water, less alcohol, exercise, stop eating fast food so much, etc.  If you're concerned that your body is not healthy, try adapting a healthier lifestyle!

5.  This 14 or 21 or 28-day diet/juice/shake/pill, etc is the answer to your weight loss!

     These magical shakes, or pills or crash diets that promise to make you lose all the weight you want in a short amount of time.  The results are the same:  you lose some weight, get bored or, go off the shake/diet/pills or whatever then you gain all the weight back!  It is a vicious cycle that is not good for a person or their self-esteem!
Shakes, pills, juices, etc will never have long term, real results.  You lose the first 5-10 lbs of weight quickly-which is usually water weight and maybe a small amount of fat loss.  You are convinced that it works, but then are surprised when the weight loss suddenly slows down.  

The best way to do this is to look for a long term lifestyle change. The quick fixes are just that, they are quick and the results go away quick. A long term plan of a diet change and exercise is key for overall long term changes. 

The problem with the myths on the list is that they focus so much on the short term.
Everyone wants a quick fix, we want results now!  However, it doesn't work like that. We all know that "slow and steady wins the race". Yes, proper diet and exercise take time for weight loss, but the results are so much better when you know how long you've worked to get them!

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