8 Fitness Myths You Think Are True
8 Fitness Myths You Need To Stop Believing
The health and fitness industry is saturated with all kinds of information – and misinformation – from what foods you should be eating to how many times per week you should be working out. How do we know what’s true and what’s not?! Here at Studio Physique, we’ve looked into the top 8 fitness myths and share the truth.
Crunches Are The Key To Defining Abs
The first thing to remember about defining that coveted six-pack, is that your core actually runs from your knees to your shoulders and includes your back. Your Abs need all of these muscles fine-tuned to show up and that takes more than sit-ups or crunches. Just like every muscle group, the entire core needs a combination of exercises to “damage” those tiny fibers, followed by rest to repair the muscles and grow. A combination of stability exercises that work your entire body and force your core to remain engaged are the keys to toning that tummy. However, depending on genetics, most people have to reach a very low body-fat percentage to see extreme definition in their abs. While it can be aesthetically pleasing to look in the mirror and see that six-pack, it’s often not maintainable. To get the most defined core for your body, experts say you should focus on eating enough lean protein and use full body exercises to challenge your balance and activate your abdominal muscles.
To Lose Weight, You Need To Eat Less
While in theory, a calorie deficit of any kind will lead to weight loss, this is a short term fix and can often lead to muscle loss instead of fat loss. When people say they want to lose weight, they usually want to lose fat. In order to lose fat instead of muscle you have to strength train (hello blue spring Lagree exercises!) and properly fuel your body, post-workout. Lean protein is essential for building those long, lean muscles. A recent study followed 2 groups of people. Both groups did the same strength training program. The first group ate a higher number of calories and more calories from protein. The second group ate fewer calories and an average amount of protein. The group that ate MORE calories gained more lean muscle. Eat MORE and look leaner?! Count us in!
More Exercise Is Always Better
Myth! Pushing your body too hard for too many days of the week can offset your progress. After completing a class at Studio Physique, your muscles should feel that “good sore” for about 24-72 hours. Lean muscle growth begins when we take the time between classes to rebuild the muscle fibers we “damaged” during our workout. Experts agree that over-training (6+ hours per week) can lead to injury. Ever wonder why you lose motivation if you try to take classes 6 straight days? Your body might be telling you to take a break, recover, then come back stronger and push yourself to a new level. That’s why we recommend 3 Lagree Fitness classes a week at Studio Physique. Slow and steady and consistent wins the fitness race!
Weight Training Will Make You Bulky
The word “bulky” is completely subjective and every person is going to have a slightly different idea of what the ideal body looks like. Resistance training along with proper nutrition is amazing for toning your body, but building bulky muscle mass requires the right mix of hormones and DNA too. Women will not create “bulky” biceps curling more weight. Lagree Fitness lengthens and strengthens creating long, lean muscles which give you that defined, streamlined look. Another thing to take into account is that muscle is more dense than fat, so even if you gain a few pounds on the scale your body will still LOOK toned and tight. Ditch that scale and focus on how you look and feel!
Low-Fat Products Are Better Than Full-Fat
Clever marketing leads us to believe that products labeled “low-fat” or “low-calorie” are better for us. A 2014 study showed that food branded with these seemingly healthy names were actually HIGHER in sugar content than the full-fat option. The next time you’re trying to choose between that full-fat yogurt or its “low-calorie” dupe, look at the ingredients and consider the sugars and added flavors manufactures add to make it taste good. Fat makes our hair shiny, our nails strong, it feeds our brain, it regulates our hormones and it gives flavor to our food. When a product takes fat away, it needs to add something in its place in order to make it palatable and this usually ends up being sugar.
Focus On Your Short Term Fitness Goals
NO! Go Long! While it is nice to have short term goals when it comes to health and fitness, it makes more sense to focus on our long term goals. Many people drop out of an exercise program or ditch their healthy eating habits because they aren’t seeing results fast enough. Building that long, lean muscle takes TIME! Stay consistent, plan for slip-ups because they happen to everyone, and trust the process. Instead of saying, “I want to lose weight”, set a realistic, time-bound goal such as, “In the next 3 months I will lose 1 pound per week by reducing my caloric intake by 250 per day and working out 3x per week for 50 minutes each time”. Studio Physique recommends taking your own progress pictures: when you first start taking classes, then again in a few weeks, and in a few months you’ll really be able to see all the awesome changes happening to your body!
Working Out On An Empty Stomach Burns More Fat
Unfortunately there is no magic formula that says when you work out on an empty stomach, the first thing your body will burn for energy is fat. However, for most people performing less than 90 minutes of exercise, the body uses stored energy to get you through the workout. We recommend eating a small meal consisting of carbs, protein and a small amount of fat 1-3 hours beforehand or even part of a protein bar if you’re working out first thing in the morning. If you don’t eat before your workout you might feel light-headed or a little nauseous. You might also start to fatigue early in exercises and miss out on the full effect. Plus, if you leave your workout completely depleted and hungry, you’re likely to overeat later. The important thing to remember is that every body is different and the best thing to do is experiment with eating before a workout to see what feels best for you.
Oh, and 1 more myth we actually think is true at SP: Mermaids really do like to crunch and twist!
Alex is a Studio Physique Trainer, nurse and health coach. Read more about Alex under SP “Staff” bios.
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-015-0100-0