Tossing the garbage: Fitness myths that have caused more harm than good

One thing I find fascinating about the internet is that junk is growing almost at the same pace with level of quality content, the more we try to make the internet a sane place, the more some folks pump in junk.

When it comes to diet, health and fitness, the wrong advice can be frustrating and dangerous.  The fitness industry is saturated with organisations trying to make money, and who will tell you anything to get some of yours! Ensure that you weigh each piece of information before applying it to your body.

This article reveals some of the most popular diet and fitness myths out there today, for your safety.Only through understanding how working out affects our bodies can we aim to stay healthy and fit.

Exercise Takes Too Much Time and Effort

It's true that you can't be physically active unless you actually get up and move.

Once you get past that hurdle, you don't have to push yourself hard. You'll gain fitness benefits from very light to moderate exercise. That benefit is even greater if you are overweight or have been sedentary .

As for time, all you need is 30 minutes a day of activity, which you can accumulate in 10-minute chunks.

Start by using time you ordinarily waste sitting in front of the television. Stand up and do 10 minutes of brisk walking while you watch. You can move around the room or walk in place. Swing your arms to ramp up your results. Do that three times daily and you'll see definite results in a short time.

 Weight training will make women bulky.

True, if the woman is on steroids. Female bodybuilders almost single handedly ruined the act of lifting heavy weights for most women in this country by providing a false example.

The average man produces 10 times the amount of testosterone as the average woman. To be truly bulky and "manly" you NEED a lot of testosterone. Without it, you can't be bulky. So, unless you plan to inject yourself with steroids, you have very little to worry about.

If you're concerned about your arms being too big, lose more fat. Don't be afraid of gaining more muscle.

Cardio is more important for fat loss than weight lifting.

Cardio is great for health reasons and you WILL burn calories while doing it. However your biggest concern when you are trying to lose weight is muscle loss.

If you lose fat and lose muscle along with it, you have made your future ability to keep the weight off harder.

Less Muscle = Lower Metabolism.

Fat loss programs should be first about controlling the ratio of calories in, calories out and second about doing everything in your power to prevent losing muscle. In my book, that means a good diet combined with a good weight training routine. If you have time for cardio, be my guest, but that comes third!

 What you eat is as important as how much you eat when you're trying to lose weight.

Your overall health has a lot to do with the quality of the foods that you ingest. But, your overall level of fat does not. As I mentioned above, fat loss is about how many calories are going into and out of your body each day.

There is no getting around the basics of Thermodynamics. If you want to lose fat, you MUST burn you eat. Period. There is no other way unless the laws of physics don't apply to you for some reason...in which case, you can eat whatever you want!

Burn more than you eat

Healthy eating and weight loss are not the same thing. If you over eat, healthy or not you have too many calories and your body can't do anything with that other than store it regardless of source. Its Math. Like a car with 20 gallon gas tank, if I put in 25 gallons in it, it will not matter if I put in 97 octane or 87, it is still 5 gallons over what it needs to maintain 20 gallons.

Don't believe me? Just ask a Sumo Wrestler. They eat very healthy food every day, avoid junk food like the plague, and yet are the poster children of obesity.

Keep carbohydrate ingestion as low as possible, especially in the evenings, this would reduce the amount of calories stored as fat by your body.

 If you don't feel like crap after a workout, you didn't work hard enough.

Workouts are workouts. Competitions are competitions. They are not the same. Workouts exist to prepare you to be good in a competition.

Sadly, too many trainees, especially those in the early stages of the beginners phase think that killing yourself is the goal. They treat every workout like a major national competition where their reputation and prize money are at stake.

"If I don't work my hardest," they say, "then how will I ever make the progress I want?"

It seems reasonable on the surface...until they injure themselves. You don't gain from pain; instead, if you workout until (or after) you have pain, you can injure yourself. If you injure yourself today, what do you think tomorrow’s workout will look like? Working hard is important, but working smart is WAY more important.

You Must Lose Weight to Be More Fit

If you're larger, imagine being let off the hook that demands you must lose 20, 30 or more pounds to achieve good fitness. Well, permission granted!

Research conducted with a group of overweight women aged 30 to 45, showed that those who accepted their bodies as they were, ate according to their natural signals for hunger and fullness (not dieting) and pursued enjoyable activities instead of regimented exercise had a sharp increase in moderate activity. What's more, they were able to sustain that activity level over time.

Accept your body as it is right now. Add physical activity to your life that you find fun. Walking in a natural area is interesting and helps the time pass swiftly. If you like social interaction, play a game with others. 

Avoid workout classes that make you feel discouraged or self-conscious, they do more harm than good.

All “Natural” supplements & health products are safe and effective

These products are not regulated and most do not have clinical studies to back up their various claims of health and longevity. Some may even be toxic under certain conditions.

Ephedra, for example was marketed as a safe fat-loss supplement for years before the number of ephedra-induced heart attacks prompted the U.S. government to ban it.

Most supplements are a waste of money. If you’re involved in a competitive sport, some supplements like protein, glutamine and, creatine may be useful, but for recreational exercise they will have little benefit.

When it comes to health and longevity, there are more conclusive studies about the benefits of happiness, regular exercise, and an enjoyable life than there are about herbal and natural supplements.

Research any supplement that is recommended to you properly. This will ensure that you are safe from some of the potentially harmful substances that are circulating out there.

Remain blessed