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Myths of exercise and weight loss (Part 2)
Fit-Nest…
By: Davina Bagot
Kaieteur News – This week we continue with our series that started two weeks ago on myths of exercise and weight loss. It is quite easy for us to believe anything we see on the internet but one of the things I learned on my journey to weight loss was to always double and triple check on certain things.
Sticking to ab exercises will give me a six pack
If you are desperately trying to build your six-pack, constantly doing abdominals only will not help you achieve your goal. While they are a great method for developing core muscles and help to improve balance and stability, these exercises alone will make your journey to your ab-dream even longer.
Research shows that a person’s overall body fat prevents abs from being seen. This means, if you want a six-pack, your efforts will have to target different parts of the body as well. The Mayo Clinic recommends that body fat can be dramatically decreased from 10 to 12 percent in men and about 11 to 13 percent for women.
The journey to a six-pack will require strict dedication to a healthy diet and exercise.
No pain, no gain
If you are feeling pain during your exercise, do not continue pushing yourself.
This is perhaps one of the most important things to remember while exercising. You may be inclined to believe that without pain there is no gain, however pushing your body during exercise while in pain can put you in serious danger.
Only on Wednesday, I was exercising at home- doing leg lifts when I felt like I was straining my neck. I usually do leg lifts at home and had never experienced the pain before. I stopped for a bit and tried to adjust my body before continuing again. The pain in my neck was still there but I continued with a few reps.
The following morning, I woke up with a headache and neck pain that I am still trying to treat. My point is, if you feel like something is off, do not continue pushing yourself.
Many athletes live by the motto “no pain, no gain” but pain is your body sending you a message that something is wrong. Feeling uncomfortable during a workout is normal but feeling pain is not.
Mayo Clinic says “If you start to feel pain during a workout, stop immediately. If you continue to push through it, you could end up with a serious injury.”
Protein shakes are supplements should be taken after workouts
Common protein supplements
Protein shakes and supplements are great additions when exercising. They however are not necessary after hitting the gym. The nutritional benefits from a protein shake or supplements, which can be very expensive, can come from foods we usually consume. These include milk, meat, chocolate or even peanut butter.
If you are already used to the gym, you know the importance of protein in your diet. It helps to repair tissues after a session and aids in building muscles in weight training. A tip shared by the Mayo Clinic is to consume protein-rich foods within 30-minutes after a workout as this is when the muscles absorb the energy since they are still burning and working.
If I’m not sweating then I’m not working hard enough
Recently, I noticed that my body wasn’t sweating as much as it usually did during exercise. I felt like I wasn’t working out hard enough and decided to check why this was happening. I learnt that sweating is an inaccurate method of measuring the efficacy of your workout.
Mixed-race woman doing sport in city, jogging.
The Mayo Clinic says that sweating shouldn’t be a gauge of how hard you’re working during your routine. “Many factors go into the amount a person sweats, such as the temperature, humidity and hydration levels. Your body just could be efficient at cooling itself, as well.”
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