Top 10 Exercise Myths
3:32 PM
1. Your cardio machine is counting the calories you're burning.
Fact: Caloric burning depends on one's age, fitness level, BMI, and sex. Different sexes at different fitness levels and BMIs burn calories at different rates. Some machines don't even ask for weight or sex.
2. Heart rate monitors will let you know how hard you're working.
Fact: Monitors can falter depending on what kind of exercise you're doing. Your own body is better at telling you how hard you're working. You can measure how intensely you're working out depending on whether you can talk in full sentences, short phrases, or are barely able to muster a few words.
3. Your weight is the end all, be all.
Fact: Your weight has little to do with your fitness level. Muscle weighs more than fat, so it's common to see an increase in weight when performing lifting regimens after a few weeks. Measure by seeing how your clothes fit and how you feel overall.
4. Low intensity exercise burns more fat.
Fact: The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but you burn more calories. Your body digs into the fat after it has burned all the carbs.
5. Chug a protein shake after workout.
Fact: While protein shakes are good for emergencies, they are a very low quality processed product. The best way to get protein is through foods like turkey, beef, yogurt, and nuts.
6. You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms.
Fact: The more repititions you do just creates muscle memory, reducing the effectiveness of the workout and causing your body not to burn as much as fat. Working out all body parts will reduce muscle memory and increase calorie burn, which will translate into fat burn.
7. You can eat whatever you want as long as you work out.
Fact: Losing pounds and burning fat happens when you have a caloric deficit. However, intense caloric deficit works the opposite. Muscles need to feed, so your food intake should consist of a balance of fats, proteins and carbs.
8. Cardio is the only way to lose weight.
Fact: Cardio is good for the heart and increases endurance, but is not the best way to burn fat. Since muscles have higher energy stores in them, the body will actually begin to feed off those after extended cardio regimens, rather than fat. 10-25 min. of cardio is the best range in which your heart and endurance get what they need, while still not running into the zone of your body feeding off its muscle.
9. You have to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach in order to burn fat.
Fact: Our body's metabolism is at it's lowest in the morning because you haven't eaten for 8 hours. Eat a balanced breakfast and you will be able to exercise longer and your body's metabolism will already be working.
10. Drinking ice cold water burns fat.
Fact: There are no proven fact that the cold water will shock your system and force it to keep it warm, causing your metabolism to increase and burn fat. However, drinking room temperature water will have the exact same effects.
2. Heart rate monitors will let you know how hard you're working.
Fact: Monitors can falter depending on what kind of exercise you're doing. Your own body is better at telling you how hard you're working. You can measure how intensely you're working out depending on whether you can talk in full sentences, short phrases, or are barely able to muster a few words.
3. Your weight is the end all, be all.
Fact: Your weight has little to do with your fitness level. Muscle weighs more than fat, so it's common to see an increase in weight when performing lifting regimens after a few weeks. Measure by seeing how your clothes fit and how you feel overall.
4. Low intensity exercise burns more fat.
Fact: The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but you burn more calories. Your body digs into the fat after it has burned all the carbs.
5. Chug a protein shake after workout.
Fact: While protein shakes are good for emergencies, they are a very low quality processed product. The best way to get protein is through foods like turkey, beef, yogurt, and nuts.
6. You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms.
Fact: The more repititions you do just creates muscle memory, reducing the effectiveness of the workout and causing your body not to burn as much as fat. Working out all body parts will reduce muscle memory and increase calorie burn, which will translate into fat burn.
7. You can eat whatever you want as long as you work out.
Fact: Losing pounds and burning fat happens when you have a caloric deficit. However, intense caloric deficit works the opposite. Muscles need to feed, so your food intake should consist of a balance of fats, proteins and carbs.
8. Cardio is the only way to lose weight.
Fact: Cardio is good for the heart and increases endurance, but is not the best way to burn fat. Since muscles have higher energy stores in them, the body will actually begin to feed off those after extended cardio regimens, rather than fat. 10-25 min. of cardio is the best range in which your heart and endurance get what they need, while still not running into the zone of your body feeding off its muscle.
9. You have to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach in order to burn fat.
Fact: Our body's metabolism is at it's lowest in the morning because you haven't eaten for 8 hours. Eat a balanced breakfast and you will be able to exercise longer and your body's metabolism will already be working.
10. Drinking ice cold water burns fat.
Fact: There are no proven fact that the cold water will shock your system and force it to keep it warm, causing your metabolism to increase and burn fat. However, drinking room temperature water will have the exact same effects.
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