10 Common Fitness Myths: How many have you heard before?
Everyone talks about do’s and don’t in the fitness industry. But is that information a fact or a myth? Read to learn about common fitness myths & why they’re not true.
Whether it’s about eating right or exercising, everyone has something to say. There must have been times when your friends and family shared health and fitness tips that you followed no questions asked. There’s a good chance you didn’t stop to check if that tip was a fact or a myth.
Now, before you get defensive, know that everyone does that. To make sure you don’t fall prey to false information and risk your health, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest fitness myths you need to know.
eep reading and let us know how many of these have you heard before.
Common Fitness Myths & Why you Shouldn’t Believe them
These days fitness influencers and pages give out health advice, but are they a valid source of information? This is why we’re here to debunk fitness myths that have been said to be true.
1. Yoga Doesn’t Cause any Pain
A study in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies concluded that out of 354 participants from two yoga studios, one-third reported muscle pains. Also, 21% of participants reported their existing pain had worsened.
Yoga is beneficial for health when performed under expert guidance. Always inform your yoga instructor about any pain or a recent injury. With this, they can guide you to do yoga that suits your body’s level of physical fitness and health.
2. Stretching Before Exercise Prevents Injury
There are two types of stretching poses, static and dynamic. Static stretching requires a person to stand or sit still for some time; dynamic stretches require a person to do active movements that require a full range of motion.
As per a study in the journal of Research in Sports Medicine, static stretching is not the right form of stretching for mild to intense workouts. Go for dynamic stretches (jogging, hip circles, squats) to loosen up your muscles before a workout.
3. Exercise on an Empty Stomach
Exercising on an empty stomach does burn more calories, but it’s not a healthy or stable weight loss. When you exercise on an empty stomach, the body is forced to use stored fat as fuel for the exercise routine.
When this happens, the person experiences a loss of stamina and feels nauseous and lightheaded. In some instances, repetitively exercising on an empty stomach leads to the body storing extra fat to use as fuel.
4. Detox Diets Help Maintain Healthy Body Weight
Detox diets are fasts that last for a few days. The fast is followed by a diet limited to eating fruits, vegetables, and juices to remove toxins from the body. Now, when you remove major foods from your regular diet, you are going to experience weight loss.
This weight loss is the result of deficiencies caused by the diet. Detox diets help you lose weight fast but it lasts only during the diet period. Detox diets seem like a shortcut to losing weight quickly but they don’t help maintain weight over a long period.
5. Mornings are the Best Time to Exercise
There is no fixed time that is the best for exercising. Different times of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, night) have their positive effects on exercising but there is no one best time.
According to a research paper in the journal of physiology, the best time to exercise varies as per a person’s circadian rhythm. This means every person has an internal clock that works differently when they exercise at a certain time of the day.
6. You Should Workout When you’re Angry or Upset
This is a bad idea. Exercising when you’re angry or upset increases the intensity of your workout. As per a study, working out while being angry or emotionally upset can become a trigger for a heart attack.
Working out can help with emotions caused by anxiety and depression but that isn’t the same with anger or emotional distress. When you’re angry or upset, try to calm down, and wait for an hour before you go work out.
7. Running is Bad for Knees
Many people believe running is bad for the knees but a study found that running helps in alleviating knee pain. The study only focused on immediate effects after 30 minutes of running so we’re yet to know if the pro-inflammatory effects last for a longer period.
Even so, running for 30 minutes daily improves your mental health, and physical fitness and reduces joint pain.
8. Weight Lifting During Pregnancy is a Big No-No
Unless your doctor advises you not to exercise, you can do weight lifting. There has been some research that suggests pregnant women benefit from weight-lifting workouts. Resistance training relieves discomfort caused by pregnancy (back pain, fatigue, headache, nausea, insomnia).
Resistance training like weight lifting, swimming, and aerobics are good for pregnant mothers. They also have positive effects on the woman’s blood pressure and heart rate.
9. Eating Fats Makes a Person Fat
People wrongfully believe fats are unhealthy and should be removed from their daily diet. But that is not true. Fats are essential for the body and cutting them from your diet can be harmful. Saturated fats and trans-fats are bad for your health.
But monounsaturated fats (oils, nuts, avocado) and polyunsaturated fats (salmon, sardines, trout, flaxseeds) are actually healthy. These fats help prevent heart disease and lower blood pressure. The truth about fats and most foods is when they’re consumed in moderation they’re good for the body.
10. Walking is Not a Good Exercise
Some people say walking is not a good form of exercise. But according to Harvard Health, their studies show how walking counteracts the body’s weight-gain genes, reduces sugar cravings, eases joint pain, and improves immunity.
So, what we learn is, half hour daily walk improves a person’s health and fitness. For people that do not enjoy going to the gym or workouts in general, this simple exercise can do wonders.
FAQ’s
What are the most common fitness mistakes?
The most common fitness mistakes are overtraining, not warming-up, bad exercising form, repetitive routines, and no rest time between sets.
What is a fact about exercise?
A fact about exercising is it reduces risk factors of heart disease like blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
What exercise burns the most calories?
Running burns the most calories as it involves bearing the weight of the body, moving forward, and forcing you to breathe fast.
EndNote
Fitness myths hinder your progress and can cause serious injuries. Before you follow health and fitness information, guides or tips, check if the information is valid. Here’s a recap of 10 fitness myths people believe to be true.
Yoga Doesn’t Cause Pain
Stretching Before Exercise Prevents Injury
Exercise on an Empty Stomach
Detox Diets Help Maintain Healthy Body Weight
Mornings are the Best Time to Exercise
You Should Workout When You’re Angry or Upset
Running is Bad for Knees
Weight Lifting During Pregnancy is a Big No-No
Eating Fats Makes a Person Fat
Walking is Not a Good Exercise
If you enjoyed reading this blog and found it useful, like and share it with your friends, and family to help them learn about fitness myths. For any questions regarding the blog, leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you. If you want to read more on health and fitness, check out our other blogs.
