In the world of the internet many myths can spread around like a pandemic. These myths lead to Fallacies, which can affect your workouts, motivation and further fitness journey. While you are setting and working on your goals, these misbeliefs will shoot you off track, silently sabotaging. Don’t worry, in this article, we’ll debunk five common fitness fallacies that are often misleading for those starting their fitness endeavors.
Spot Reduction
Did you ever hear your friend say ,,OH, to lose fat on the side of your stomach, just keep on working out that side”. As a result, you’ve been working out that certain spot for weeks putting your whole energy into it. Even adapting your current training schedule to that certain spot. After weeks, you get stronger in that area but the spot doesn’t disappear.
Well, there are reasons for it. You can not choose where your body will burn fat, just by working the area out. This disbelief can be draining your motivation, instead you should focus the overall fat loss. How can you do that ?
Easily, just stay on the grid, keep a healthy but steady calorie deficit through a balanced diet. Another, keep up the consistency with a personalized workout plan, that includes cardio vascular exercise & strength training and fits your needs. No, personalized workout plan yet ? Check out our other blog post for a Free Plan here !
Longer Workouts, better Results
I know the perfect way to reach my Fitness goals as fast as possible. Well, I just need to spend a lot of hours every day in the Gym and I will look like my role model pretty soon. This sounds like a typical beginner, who’s enthusiasm can’t be stopped. Until, reality joins the game.
There are good news, no need to spend hours nor every day in the gym for amazing results. It’s all about the quality not quantity. Your focus shouldn’t be on time spent, rather on the intensity & proper technique, this way you can make a 30-45 min workout much more efficient than one that takes up to 2 hours.
How do your muscles grow ? Not during the workout, this would be the pump. No, it’s all about the rest days where your body builds your muscle up stronger by that, don’t spend everyday working out in the hope for better results & don’t be afraid to take a rest day if you need it.
Cardio: Separating Fact from Fiction
What if I tell you that cardio is the best way to lose weight ? Would you believe it or not ? If your answer is yes, than I have to disappoint you. Many beginners head for the treadmill or stepper to lose weight, which aren’t ineffective but there are solutions with better results & benefits.
While cardiovascular exercises increase your heart rate and make you burn calories, you have to keep on doing it to burn them. Did you know that you can passively burn calories ? Furthermore, by only using cardio for weight loss and leaving out strength training to burn calories & build muscle your missing out on a great opportunity.
Moreover, balance your cardio with muscle building exercises. More muscles will increase your metabolism, which makes you burn more calories at rest. Additionally, your appearance and posture improve, as well as your bone density, joint health and overall functional strength.
More Sweat, more Calories
You know it, if your clothes are dripping in sweat, the workout was effective and you burnt a lot of calories. Well, that’s not the whole truth behind it. Sweat is your body’s mechanism to regulate it’s temperature. Therefore if it’s hot you will sweat more, but that doesn’t mean you burn more calories, if the same workout would be in a colder environment. Sweat doesn’t corelate with calorie expenditure nor better results.
How can you measure your workouts effectiveness and the calories you burnt ? Shift your focus to your heart rate and intensity of physical effort. When you choose to physically challenge your body instead of finding a way to make it sweat you will benefit from more calories burnt and the building of muscle.
When sweat would be the indicator of calories burnt, you could just go the sauna. Unfortunately, the sauna is not a substitute for an energy intense workout. The workout makes you sweat less but burns more calories effectively. To keep track of real calories you burn we recommend to use a fitness tracker !
No Fats in my food !
As soon as you start to will avoid any food that has fats in it. Of course, we want to burn fat not getting more of it. But is fat really that bad as the name suggests ? If you start getting into you bodies biology it becomes clear. There are bad and good fats & your body urgently needs good fats to function.
What happens if you stop the intake of good fats is, for example a hormone disbalance. Good fats are important for the production of your hormones. A disbalance can impact your metabolism & mood. Furthermore, your brain is largely composed of fats. Lack in intake of fats can impact your cognitive abilities as concentration, memory & overall performance.
What are good fats and where to find them ? Monosaturated fats, Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids are two examples and where to find them is even easier. Check out our Instagram account to find out more about healthy fats and where to find them & even more health content ! Click here.
Conclusion
it’s important to debunk these fitness fallacies and focus on evidence-based information to achieve optimal results. Spot reduction is a myth, so instead of targeting specific areas, prioritize overall fat loss through a balanced diet and consistent exercise routine.
Quality workouts that emphasize intensity and proper technique are more effective than lengthy gym sessions. Combining cardiovascular exercises with strength training yields better weight loss and body composition outcomes.
Lastly, embrace the importance of good fats for hormone regulation, brain function, and overall well-being, ensuring they are part of a balanced and healthy diet. By dispelling these fallacies and adopting a well-rounded approach to fitness, you can maximize your efforts and achieve long-term success.
Sources
American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/
Harvard School of Public Health: https://www.mayoclinic.org/
National Institutes of health: https://www.nih.gov/
