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Leisure Fitness
No Pain No Gain and other exercise myths
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Fitness advice is everywhere. Infomercials, Web sites, magazines, videos, even friends may offer conflicting information. Such confusing advice keeps many people from getting in shape or, perhaps worse, has them exercising in ways that are detrimental. Many of the following fitness myths have been around so long thapeople have come to believe them. Others have only recently been proven wrong by researchers.No pain, no gain. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong. Listen to it. While it is okay to push yourself a bit, if there is pain you probably are doing something wrong. Ignoring pain can exacerbate an existing condition, whether or not you know it exists. If you are new to exercise, you may feel some initial muscle soreness, but thashould subside after a few workouts. A five-minute post-workout warm down and stretch can help preventender muscles.
The more exercise the better. You can exercise too much. Without time to rest and recover, your body becomes more susceptible to injury. Iis during rest, in fact, that your body experiences muscle growth - nowhen you are actually lifting the weights.
If I exercise, I can eat whatever want. A healthy diet goes hand-inhand with a sound exercise regimen. High-fat diets heavy on refined sugar can result in unwanted pounds even if you are exercising. And, such a diewill not fuel your body the same way healthy foods do. Without the energy provided by a well-rounded diet, you may lack the vigor and stamina to complete a full workout.
Strength training will bulk me up. This myth has prevented more women from achieving a well-balanced exercise program than any other piece of misinformation. Whastrength training does is tone your muscles, protect you from injury, and help prevent osteoporosis.
Running is the best way to get fit. Running is a great way to exercise but it is not superior to other forms of cardiovascular exercise. There's only one "best way" - and that is whichever way suits you best. In fact, running by itself does not provide the type of well-rounded approach that most bodies need to be physically fit. Strength and flexibility training have a place in every exercise regimen.
Early mornings are the best time to exercise. For many people that's true. But for others, the thought of rising early is a major disincentive to sticking with an exercise program. Try exercising at different times of the day to see what works best for your body and your lifestyle.
I can "spot reduce" my tummy with specific exercise. Unfortunately, the human body doesn't work thaway. When you burn energy through exercise - even if you're working exclusively on one area - your body is tapping into fat reserves throughout your system. There is no specificity related to the area or muscle group that is using the energy.
If I can't exercise regularly it's noworth exercising at all. While it can take months to become physically fit, your health will improve to some degree after your first brisk walk or run. Research shows that any exercise is better than none.
I don't need to warm-up or warmdown indoors. A proper warm-up stimulates your circulation, sending blood to muscle tissues and preparing them to work. Warming up and down is nature's own best defense against pain or injury.
