Fitness Myths Debunked

Whether your goal is to get fit, loose weight, or build muscle, there always seems to be those concepts that seem to make sense, but actually keep us from reaching our fitness goals. Here's a few examples:

"If I work out on an empty stomach, I'll burn more fat"

FALSE. Well, it's not the fat you burn during exercise that matters. It's the fat that you burn between workout sessions that really counts! Exercise is the catalyst for change...not the change itself. Beyond that...sorry folks, but when you exercise, your body burns carbohydrates and creatine - not fat. How, then, do you burn fat with exercise? Exercise speeds up your metabolism - and that's what attacks your fat stores between your workouts! So - go ahead and eat beforehand. Having that fuel means you can make it a worthwhile workout - and the better the workout, the more your going to burn fat later!

"To gain muscle, I need to lift weights every day"

FALSE. f do don't lift weights, you're not going to gain much (if any muscle) - and it would seem that the more you lift, the more you'll gain. Unfortunately, that's not true. The whole concept behind weight training (without getting technical) - is that when you lift, your muscles suffer "micro-tears". Now, before that sounds bad - keep in mind that your muscles do this every day - but to gain muscle mass, you need to step that up a bit beyond your normal, daily workload. When your muscles are at rest, they heal - and rebuild. That rebuilding is where you gain muscle. WIthout that rest, you're just damaging yourself, and will end up getting negative returns on your workouts. So, plan your weight training workouts - and also train regular rest periods in between them!

"Milk is good for your fitness routine"

TRUE. According to a new British study, when 11 men drank 2 percent milk, water, or Powerade after intense exercise sessions, researchers found that the milk drinkers remained hydrated four times longer than those who drank the other liquids. Thanks to higher levels of potassium, sodium, and electrolytes that promote fluid retention, combined with the protein that aids in muscle growth and recovery - milk truly does your body good!

Exercise - The Secrets Of Becoming Super-Fit

It’s really not that hard to become super fit – it just takes time, energy, and dedication! The hard part is in executing on that. So, let’s take those three parts separately.

Time
Time means many things when it comes to your workout. It means you should time everything. Do your workout against the clock. Whether it’s weight lifting, or cardio – set yourself a plan to do a certain amount of work within a certain time – and then keep track of what that time was. For example, let’s say you’re running on a treadmill. Set yourself a goal for, let’s say, 3 miles in 35 minutes. Then, if you did 2.8 miles in 35 minutes, and the next time you to 2.9 miles in that same time – you can see not only how good you’re getting, but what days you might have slacked off a bit.

Energy
It’s not always easy to get in a good workout – especially if you find it boring. Actually, there is a way to avoid that – break your workout into three stages. First, to a 10 minute warmup. This helps get some oxygen into your system, warms up your muscles to avoid energy, and gets some endorphins going – which gets you to the next part. For that – to 10 minutes of a medium intensity workout. This gets your metabolism going, and gives you the chance to add variety. One day you could do things like pushups, situps, etc., where the next day you could to a weight workout, or pick up the pace on your cardio workout. This second step then prepares you for the third step – Interval Training. This is the brutal, final stage where you’re pushing yourself against your limits (but, make sure before you push your limits – you know what they are!) Do this for another 10-20 minutes – and your done!

Dedication
There are no breaks…unless you’ve hurt yourself (and, if you’re careful with your workouts – the only “hurt” you should ever feel is maybe some slight muscle soreness that goes away after a day). This means no repeats as well – never, ever repeat a workout two days in a row! Try to create a slightly different plan for each day – and stick to it. Not only does having this variety keep you excited about your next workout, it also keeps your body from getting too accustomed to your workouts – and you’ll keep making progress with those workouts!

Be All That You Can Be

So, whether you’ve just started running, or you’re an experienced marathon runner, we all run into the same plateau. There is that point where we all realize that there is what we are, and what we want to be, and the realization goes beyond that when we finally figure out that we may not get to where we want to be.

Of course, that happens with most things in life. No matter how hard we work, we may not be able to quite hit that lofty goal we set for ourselves. Now, before that sounds negative – it’s not. The reality is – you are what you are, and you can either spend your life frustrated by what you aren’t, or be grateful for what you are.

When it comes to your exercise program, we all start out with pretty lofty goals. Maybe it's to fit into the clothes we wore in high school or college. Maybe it's to win a marathon. Maybe it's to be the next winner of the Ironman Triathlon! And, it's important to set these high goals - it's a way to get ourselves started.

When you start exercising, you may get overwhelmed initially with your progress. Of course, if you’ve spent 25 years in an unhealthy lifestyle, every positive change in diet and exercise is progress! Yet, as the months go on, your progress seems to flatten out. Where once you could extend your distance by 50% in a month, now it seems like no matter how hard you try, you can’t go any farther!

What’s important is that you set a goal and go after it. And, realize that at any point, you can re-evaluate and change your goals! Rather than constantly battling yourself against unrealistic expectations, you can look at each run, each bike ride, or each gym workout, as “good” or “bad”. You can choose to look at your exercise activities as a way that you enhance your life! You are fortunate because you choose to live a healthy lifestyle. You are fortunate because you have more energy when you play with your kids. You are fortunate because you look and feel younger.

In the end, your biggest competitor is yourself. And your definition of what your best is, is always subject to your own reevaluation! Your goal shouldn’t be to be the next winner of the Ironman Triathlon (although, if you are the next winner – good for you!). Your goal should be to always be the best you can be!