There are lots of myths that surround the fitness and exercise field that have no real basis in fact or reality. But they persist anyway, and unfortunately many accept these misconceptions as fact, sometimes even causing harm to their body as a result. So let’s debunk the top 5 fitness myths now.
1. No pain, no gain has been a common mantra heard in gyms around the country for years. No doubt it has it’s roots in the truth that you have to push your body when exercising or it does no real good. However to take that to the extreme where you don’t feel that you have gotten a good workout unless pain is involved is just not true. In fact, the opposite is true. Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something you are doing is not right and it usually warns you before major injury happens. So heed the warnings. Realize that some mild discomfort may be experienced when you push your body beyond it’s current capacity, but when you go to the point of pain you have gone too far.
2. Another myth is that weight training for women will make them look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s just not true. Women have a completely different physical makeup than men, that emphasizes more fat deposits and less muscle mass. It’s simply not possible for a normal woman to produce huge muscles by weight training alone. Instead weight training can help strengthen and condition women, improving overall stamina. So don’t listen to the myth, some form of weight training is beneficial for everyone.
3. Many exercises have heard that you need to workout on an empty stomach to burn more calories. Again this is just not true. Burning calories has absolutely nothing to do with what is in your stomach at the time when you work out. Burning calories is tied to the length and intensity of your workout. In fact, if you engage in an intense workout on an empty stomach you could risk dizziness and fainting from not having enough energy to keep up with the muscle demand. That’s why it’s often a good idea to have a small carb snack 10-15 minutes before your workout.
4. Another very popular myth is that a person has belly fat because their stomach muscles are weak. It may be true that their stomach muscles are weak, but belly fat, as well as all fat, is put on the body by overeating and little exercise to burn it off. In other words, you can do all the stomach crunches you want and still not have a flat stomach if you are still eating too much and not burning those calories efficiently.
5. Another myth - protein builds muscle. What actually builds muscle is working your muscles out regularly. Protein is good to have in the diet but too much of it can actually be detrimental and cause health problems. So if you want to grow your muscle mass do what works, work out longer and more intensely.
Understanding the popular fitness myths can help you focus on the real truths of exercise instead and get the results that you really want.
April 8th, 2006
“It does not matter what you eat. Just don’t eat a lot, exercise, and your weight will not be a problem.”
True?
Not quite!
There is scientific evidence that a vegetarian diet keeps that weight down, whereas meat eaters put it on. What you eat does matter.
You know that weight loss is an industry. A money-making industry with many claims to make:
Claims of weight loss pills, herbs and juices. Claims of exercise machines and exercise programmes. Claims of high-fat, no fat or lean diets.
Which work? Which do not? How to find those things that work? It is bewildering. And expensive!
The US FDA has warned against the effectiveness of a number of products that are being marketed. They include fat or starch blockers, weight loss chewing gum and body wraps.
Even weight loss earrings and spectacles are in this list. Perhaps the last one is effective when your friends wear them to look at you?
By contrast, vegetarians and vegans know what they eat and why they eat it. They save money and lose weight.
Weight loss of both your body and your wallet? Why not.
Vegetarian food production is inherently cheaper than that of meat.
Just like a high fibre vegetarian diet goes through your system faster, the vegetarian food production chain is short compared to that of growing meat.
Growing animals for meat is after all energy-intensive, time-consuming and expensive.
For instance, it takes five kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of beef. It is that concentrated energy that you eat. And it’s not high-fibre.
Short production cycles are better for the planet and shorter digestive processes are better for you.
Perhaps you do not even need special low calorie vegetarian recipes to lose weight.
A vegetarian or vegan diet appears to be a recipe for weight loss in itself! At least it represents an excellent start.
Consider the latest research.
Vegetarian and vegan diets work
Recent British scientific research is based on a study of 22,000 people who were followed over five years. All participants put on weight over that time.
However, meat eaters who changed to a vegetarian diet gained the least weight.
Prof Tim Keys, who led this study for the University of Oxford and Cancer Research UK, obtained interesting results that are contrary to popular beliefs. His study is published in the Journal of Obesity.
He said: “Contrary to current popular views that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein keeps weight down, we found that the lowest weight gain came in people with high intake of carbohydrates and low intake of protein.”
The study involved meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans. On average the entire human sample population gained 2 kilos over the five years and none of them were overweight.
The less consumption of animal products, the less weight was gained, leaving the vegans on top, with vegetarians runners-up.
And the bit about exercising then?
Well, it’s part of a holistic picture it seems. The study also found that those who became more physically active gained less weight than those who did not. No surprises there.
So, not good news for vegan couch potatoes and a ray of hope for raging carnivores?
Well…, the simple message is, whatever you eat, physical activity is part of the weight loss, and health-deal.
Good health
Health too? Yes, this study is part of a larger investigation by EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition), comparing half a million people’s diets in 10 countries to learn how diet is linked to cancer. Results from EPIC’s investigation show that diet is a leading cause of some cancers.
A balanced vegetarian or vegan diet is good for your health.
Take diabetes, often a condition associated with inadequate diet and being over-weight. The EPIC study has revealed that diabetics carry three times the normal risk of developing colo-rectal cancer.
And a recent Australian study even suggests that a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruit can reduce the effects of asthma attacks.
The wider benefits of choosing a vegetarian or vegan diet for weight loss are obvious.
But… perhaps you’d still rather take the ‘easy way’ out and continue to eat meat. Meat perhaps that has been engineered for your ‘health’?
Voila! Researchers at Harvard University have now engineered pigs to produce “healthy forms of bacon, ham and pork crackling.”
Three little pigs were genetically modified to carry Omega 3-converting genes of a nematode worm. This gives the meat of these three little research pigs the benefits of fats and oils found in fish and… vegetables!
Talk about a long production process to get the same benefits from plants that take a fraction of the energy and time to produce.
I’m telling no porky: before long pigs will fly… But do you want to eat them?
Get motivated.
Weight loss may be your focus but you can see that its achievement is connected to a holistic picture, including your health and that of the world we live in. That is why you could say that many vegetarians and vegans are socially responsible eaters.
Perhaps that insight will give you the motivation to become a vegetarian or vegan: to lose weight…and to discover a whole new world!
Of course some people have medical conditions that cause them to be over weight.
It would be foolish to recommend a vegetarian diet as a miracle cure in those instances. But in all other cases of being over weight there is one over-riding thing that you need: Motivation.
If you know why you want to lose weight you will do it. Motivation is everything. The evidence is in on effectiveness of vegetarian diets with respect to weight loss.
If you also know that you are doing your body and the planet a favour by losing weight through vegetarian or vegan diets… then what are you waiting for?
It’s over to you!
April 6th, 2006
What’s for dinner tonight? Probably not Raisin Bran. But why not? Research shows that whole-grain cereal is an excellent source of vitamins and fiber, and is low in calories and saturated fat. So why don’t we eat cereal for dinner? The problem is that cereal is not marketed as a dinner food, so we don’t associate it that way. Now, what if Kelloggs came out and launched a “dinner cereal?” It’s not that this “dinner cereal” would be different from any other cereal; it would just give us “permission” to steer from the norm and do things a little differently.About 7 years ago I put my theory to the test. I ate cereal for dinner 5 nights a week for about 4 months, and I can honestly say that my stomach was flatter than ever, I never felt full or bloated and I got used to it pretty quickly. In fact, I found myself driving home from work excited about what cereal I would have that night, and I looked forward to it. I felt great.
Our overweight problem is largely cultural. Big, dinnertime meals are part of what we do even though research proves that consuming our largest meal at night is a big reason for our bulging waist-lines. Not long ago I read an interesting study about the timing of our eating. The researchers investigated the eating habits in some community in Scotland and compared them to ours. This community was a farming town and the people, on average, consumed the same amount of calories per day that we do, but they did not have a weight problem. The reason: Breakfast was their big meal. About two thirds of their daily calories were consumed in the morning and they ate sensible lunches and dinners. In our culture, we consume two thirds of our calories after 5:00 P.M. The body’s metabolism slows down significantly after 6:00 P.M. and our bodies just aren’t burning all of those calories effectively. Timing is everything. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
I remember what my mother used to say to me during my “cereal for dinner days.” She thought I was crazy and would say things like, “that is not healthy for you.” “You need “food” for dinner.” I beg to differ.
In our world, we do what seems normal, what everyone else is doing. A family sitting around the dinner table eating a bowl of Cheerios with sliced bananas sounds ludicrous. It just doesn’t fit into our cultural schema. But obviously something has got to change in our country or we’re just going to keep eating ourselves to death. Try the cereal plan for a few weeks and see if you lose weight. There is such a huge selection of good, healthy cereals, so you don’t have to worry about getting board. Dare to be different
Thomas J. Kersting, LPC, Ph.D is the author of FAT PROOF: Power Programming Your Bodies Weight-Loss Computer (Harbor Press, coming in Winter 2006). Dr. Tom has helped countless people to lose weight with his power programming method. Please visit his website to receive a free copy of his Power Programming Weight-Loss CD. http://www.FatProof.net
April 4th, 2006
