Don’t Believe these Workout Myths You Hear Everyday

Health & FitnessJuly 5, 2018

Life is generally a cycle of wanting to eat a lot of food and wanting to lose weight. When it comes to fitness and weight loss, there is just too much information that exists. These pieces of information sometimes contradict each other, leaving us more confused than ever.

It’s good to differentiate myths from the facts, which can make our workout plans more efficient. It also promotes better decision making for us since all the information has been backed up by science. There are a lot of myths that are still being practiced (or feared) by people. So we decided to round up the most common misconceptions about workout and exercise.

Women should not do weight training

Women have lower chances of bulking up during weight training

Women who get information usually avoid weights, the sole is reason of being afraid to bulk up. Usually, men do weight training and as a result, the big biceps can be intimidating. This aspect has been used to perpetuate this myth, when in fact women can and should do weight training. The reason why men tend to bulk up is because they have more testosterone in their body, which is responsible for muscle building. And women have lower testosterone, so the fear of bulking up should not become a hinderance anymore.

Spot reduction is achievable

Have saggy arms and a flabby tummy? For people who say yes, their main way to correct this is through spot reduction. It is when a specific portion of the body is only engaged in the hopes of losing fat in that area only.

The problem with spot reduction is that we can’t control where our body deposits and distributes fat. It has the tendency to redistribute fat on the location that has been targeted by spot reduction. Not only are we wasting time by doing so, but it can also factor in to make us demotivated. The best and only way is overall reduction.

Eating more meals a day can make you fat

Prepare meals for the week to avoid unhealthy eating

If there is one thing that we should always remember is that we need energy from food to burn calories. Food also fuels our workout so it’s something we should not be afraid of. One of the many misconceptions is that eating more food means defeating the purpose of exercise, since it’ll only make us fat. But what people should know is that it’s not only about how many times we eat or when we eat it. It’s always about WHAT we eat. Dieters who eat 3 meals a day but have balanced diet have a better shot at keeping the weight off than those who are fasting only to eat burgers and pizza in their eating window.

Don’t stop working out or else you’ll gain even more weight

One of the reason why people stop going to the gym even before they started can be rooted to this misconception. People have been so afraid of gaining weight, that’s why they tend to just make the most of their current weight.

According to a popular myth, the muscles that have been made during workouts will turn into fat after you stop working out. This is scientifically impossible since muscle just can’t turn into fat. What happens to our body after stopping is that it experiences atrophy. It is when the muscle shrinks in size. The more we eat and stop exercising, the more our muscles shrink and it will be replaced by fat. We are creating new fat and not aiding muscle turning into fat.

The more sore, the better

Taking rest helps the body lose more weight

Being sore is not an indication of the calories that have been burned. It’s simply a coping mechanism of the muscle, which has undergone rigor due to physical activities. Workouts that don’t make you sore can guarantee results, too, especially if the body has been fully adjusted to these routines. It’s also important to not overdo it, just to feel the burn. Taking a rest day is important in the weight loss process. It enable the body to regenerate and build more muscles. Without proper rest, we are only sore and injury-prone, not fit.