Six Exercise Myths

Chances are you've heard all kinds of advice when it comes to working out. But are these maxims fact — or fiction? Don't believe these common workout whoppers:

Myth #1: Exercise should hurt. Whether you've been told "No pain, no gain," or that you should "feel the burn," the reality is that exercise doesn't have to be painful to be effective. In fact, pushing yourself too hard, too fast will most likely lead to an injury — not a fit physique!

Myth #2: You can target specific areas. Don't buy into the myth of spot exercising to reduce fat in a particular area. While it's true that strengthening exercises will target specific muscles — for example, crunches strengthen your abdominal muscles — no exercise can burn fat in a specific area.

Myth #3: To benefit from cardio, you have to do it for at least an hour at a time. It's just not true that if you don't have an hour to exercise, you may as well not bother. For weight loss, it's just as effective to work out frequently for shorter periods (such as 10 or 15 minutes). Remember, it all adds up.

Myth #4: If you strength train, you'll get bulky. Many people avoid strength training because they're afraid it will cause them to bulk up. The truth is, while resistance training helps you maintain your lean muscle mass, building substantial amounts of muscle is very difficult, especially when you're losing weight. Unless you're a bodybuilder following a program designed to increase your muscle mass, odds are you won't bulk up.

Myth #5: If you exercise, you can eat whatever you want. While exercise does burn calories, what and how much you eat still matters. For example, a one-mile walk burns about 100 calories — so you'd have to walk for 12 miles to burn off the typical 1,200-calorie fast-food meal of a hamburger, fries, and a soft drink!

Myth #6: There's a quick fix. When it comes to fitness, slow and steady wins the race. Don't buy into advertisements that promise certain fitness equipment or activities will get you in shape quickly or with no effort.

When I first saw this on-line many months ago I printed it and put it on my fridge.....primarily for number 5.......walking 12 miles was never worth eating a big mac to me!!!

Great post....thanks for sharing.

Moosie....oh Moosie, Moosie, Moosie, Moosie!!!

Did you *have* to say 'Big Mac' ?????   

Molly, that's a great list - where did you find it? So many myths and yet we keep hearing and reading them everywhere.

From news letter sent to me daily from below.  I think they are connected to Duke University but not sure.  www.dukediet.com.

Established in 1969 in Durham, North Carolina, the Duke Diet & Fitness Center is one of the most renowned residential weight-management centers in the world. The intensive immersion program is designed to help people not only lose weight but gain self-awareness, skills, and knowledge for lasting

There was a girl who used to post here, Andrea (Dr, Andy), and she went through that program.  Her results were AMAZING.

Sky, I think the reason we keep hearing them is because it sounds good in an infomercial!  "Get Ripped in Six Weeks".  Ummm, yeah, if you start out with only ten pounds of junk in ya trunk!  When I weighed 320 pounds, I would have had to walk around the world twice a day, everyday for six weeks and instead of being ripped, I'd just be tired...and pissed cuz I wasn't ripped!

And another thing that ticks me off.  I'm an apple and no matter how ripped my six pack is, the fat over it still looks like a keg.  Well, maybe not that drastic, but I don't see any definition in my belly in my future.  *sigh*

Mary

Thanks Molly - yes that's a great resource.

Mary - I remember Andrea - so that's where she went. I remember she was raving about it and she looked great. I wonder if she ever visits - hopes she pops back in and says hello.

As for getting ripped - it actually has nothing to do with your fat per se - some people build up super duper muscles but most of us can't - we just have normal muscles. Yes, the amount of fat that we have layered over our muscles play a role only in allowing us to see the muscle definitition. Even if we were exercising like crazy and were as lean as possible we still wouldn't be contenders for Ms or Mr America muscle contest. That's why steriods and other drugs are so popular - to help people build huge muscles who normally can't.

thanks I really needed to read this post!!

That was a great re-fresher for me!

Can I add one more?

"Muscle weighs more than fat." I get tired of hearing people say this. A pound is a pound. Muscle is more dense than fat and therefore takes up less space.