By
Karen L. Cowan
Central Florida Nutrition and Wellness
www.centralfloridanutrition.com
Karen is an AFPA Certified Nutritionist, Wellness Specialist, and Certified Pre & Post Natal Exercise Specialist, having received certification through the American Fitness Professional & Associates. Karen is currently studying towards her Masters of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. She is also a member of the American Nutrition Association, IDEA Health & Fitness Association, and the American Fitness Professional & Associates. Additional CEC’s in Adolescent Fitness, Weight Training for Women, Nutrition & Dining Out, Stress Resilience, Research & Senior Fitness, Kid’s Health
Several people engage in wishful thinking that it is possible to transform their body with minimal effort or with the latest fad, supplement, or gimmick. It’s easy to fall into the trap: A workout friend gives you an exercise tip, and then you pass it on to numerous people you know. Your child’s coach gives you a suggestion, and sure enough you hear the same thing from quite a few other parents. So you figure it must be true. So, let’s take a moment to clear up 6 of the most common fitness myths.
1. Running on a treadmill is better for joints than running outside.
Unless it’s a high-quality, extra-shock-absorbing treadmill, it’s not going to make much of a difference. Running on a treadmill puts less stress on your knees than running on asphalt or pavement. Running is a great workout, but it can impact the knees, and since it’s the force of your body weight on your joints that causes the stress. It’s the same whether you’re on a treadmill or on asphalt. If you mix running with other cardio activities, like an elliptical machine, or you ride a stationary bike, you will reduce impact on your knees so you’ll be able to run for many more years.
2: Swimming is a great weight loss activity.
While swimming is great for increasing lung capacity, toning muscles, and even helping to burn off excess tension, the surprising truth is that unless you are swimming for hours a day, it may not help you lose much weight. Because the resistance of the water is supporting your body, you’re not working as hard as it would if, say, you were moving on your own steam, like you do when you run or jog.Continue reading below… It’s not uncommon to feel ravenous when you come out of the water. It may actually cause you to eat more than you normally would, so it can make it harder to stay with a healthy eating plan.
3. Machines are safer than free weights.
Not necessarily. Machines are not designed for all body types. There are only so many ways you can adjust the seat and other settings. Free weights, on the other hand, can be adapted more easily. However, with free weights, it’s also easy to slip into bad habits. In other words, form, alignment and set-up are important for both free weights and machines. Although it may seem as if an exercise machine automatically puts your body in the right position and helps you do all the movements correctly, that’s only true if the machine is properly adjusted for your weight and height, experts say. Unless you have a coach or a trainer or someone who can help figure out what is the right setting for you, you can make just as many mistakes in form and function, and have just as high a risk of injury, on a machine as if you work out with free weights or do any other type of non-machine workout.
4. If you don’t sweat, you’re not working hard enough.
Sweating is not always related to heart rate, which is the best measure of exercise capacity. Sweat is just the body’s way to regulate body temperature and some of us just run hotter than others, sometimes independently of heart-rate levels. Sweating is not necessarily an indicator of exertion. Sweating is your body’s way of cooling itself. It’s possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking a sweat. Try taking a walk or doing some light weight training, you don’t sweat excessively, but you are burning calories.
5. Fat can be spot-reduced.
This is wishful thinking. Fat reduction, in the midsection and elsewhere, will happen with a combination of healthy eating, cardio and strength work. You don’t get to pick one body part or another. In other words, the 2,000 crunches you do won’t reveal six-pack abs unless you also focus on healthy eating and some form of cardio-respiratory exertion. Working out can reduce your overall body fat, but you can’t control where that fat comes from. In a new study published in Journal of Strength & Conditioning, 11 people completed a 12-week exercise program to train a single leg. Even though they only trained on one side, they lost about the same amount of body fat in each leg—and burned even more body fat above the waist. Most of us already have a six pack. {It’s just below three levels of fat.}
6. When it comes to working out, you’ve got to feel some pain if you’re going to gain any benefits.
Of all the fitness tales to have surfaced, experts agree that the “no pain-no gain” holds the most capacity for harm. While you should expect to have some degree of soreness a day or two after working out, that’s very different from feeling pain while you are working out. A fitness activity should not hurt while you are doing it, and if it does, then either you are doing it wrong, or you already have an injury. As for “working through the pain,” it is not recommended. If it hurts, stop, rest, and see if the pain goes away. If it doesn’t go away, or if it begins again or intensifies after you start to work out, see a doctor.
Fitness and health is not about following a one-size-fits-all script, but finding your own combination of flexibility, strength, endurance and balance training, along with encouraging ways to find tranquility and peace of mind. The key to achievement is to start changing into what feels good in your mind and body.
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