Myths of exercise and weight loss (Part 1)

May 21, 2023 News

Fit-Nest…

Kaieteur News – After starting my personal weight loss challenge about two years ago, I learned that not everything I read or heard about was factual and actually worked. In fact, I’ll be sharing with you a few myths I discovered along my journey.

I personally started exercise because of a medical condition that required me to lose about 10-15 pounds at the time; and I did. At first, even though I was trying my best, the weight seemed more determined than I was! This actually brings me to the first point.

If the number on the scale isn’t going down, I’m not losing weight.

While keeping track of the number on the scale is important, do not let it break your spirit and deter you from continuing on your journey to weight loss.

The truth is, even though you may be seeing a higher number on the scale, this can be as a result of a number of factors, including how much water you had before weighing and perhaps what and how much you ate before getting on the scale. The bottom line is, the time that you check your weight is important, since research shows that several factors impact the number.

Importantly, while food or drinks may not be impacting the number reflected on the scale, this may also be as a result of added muscles you gained during exercise.

Weights will make me bulky

As a woman, I was particularly scared of adding weights to my workout routine, as I was fearful it would make a “muscle maniac”. Contrary to this, weights helped me shed my fat faster and have been helping me to build muscle in different parts of my body.

While this may be a legitimate fear for most women, be assured that for a woman to become “bulky” she will have to be engaged in tons of strength training, follow a strict diet and workout programmes that will likely feature muscle-building supplements.

I can eat unhealthy because I went to the gym

If you are desperately trying to lose weight, this is something you definitely want to steer clear from! Eating unhealthy will simply undo all your hard work and effort during exercise.

Be sure to remind yourself that food is fuel for the body and proper nutrition is the best way to get results, along your exercise journey.

Stretching will prevent injuries

While warm-up activities are a vital aspect of any exercise routine, it is important to acknowledge that stretching alone will not prevent an injury. Many of us can perhaps testify to this!

As a child, you may recall playing sports and doing stretches before and after, but this has never really helped to prevent an injury did it? While stretching has been shown to help prepare the muscles for movement and ease workout recovery, studies show that this will not reduce the likelihood of an injury. In fact, preventing an injury is entirely dependent on your form and movements during exercise.

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