Top Exercise Myths – Revealed!
The vast majority of people could be exercising far more effectively than they are. One of the main reasons for this is pure confusion. So many different ideas and theories are written/talked about with regards to exercise, it’s ridiculous. I get asked the same sorts of questions again and again, so here are my TOP Exercise Myths;
Top Exercise Myths
1/ You have to do loads of traditional cardio such as running to lose weight.
COMPLETELY FALSE. As I have discussed in previous articles, to burn calories and lose weight you simply have to work out with your heart rate elevated. There are so many other ways to do this other than running, stationary bike, cross trainer etc. that most people use.
Weights for example are not just for people who want to bulk up. They are a great fat burner when used in the right way. If you heart rate is up, then you are getting a cardiovascular workout. NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF EXERCISE YOU ARE DOING!
2/ You have to go to gym to exercise effectively
If you like going to the gym and have the time, that’s fine. Most of my clients neither have the time nor do they like the gym environment. That does not mean you can’t still get a great workout. You can exercise from home in a small space and still get a great workout.
3/ You have to have some fancy home workout equipment to get a good workout
Not true either. A lot of people buy expensive treadmills or cross trainers and end up hanging clothes off them and barely using them. They take up a load of space and simply aren’t necessary. You can get a great fat burning workout with just your bodyweight.
4/ Short workouts aren’t worth it
Time is one of the biggest factors that stop people exercising. I get it, we are all busy and can’t necessarily put aside an hour every day to exercise. But most people think unless you can do that it’s not worth it. If you can only do 20 or 30 mins that’s still enough time to get a great workout. In fact it will mean you can do a more intense workout than if you were training for longer. You can still get a good calorie burn so whatever time you have its still worth it.
5/ You have to work in the ‘fat burning zone’
Nonsense. The harder you work the more calories you burn. That’s a fact. Why treadmills and other gym machines continue to tell people to work in a lower heart rate zone to ‘burn more fat’ I really don’t know. The science simply doesn’t support this. So don’t listen to it.
6/ Exercising before eating burns more fat
There is a theory that your body burns more calories as fat is you exercise on an empty stomach. Again there is no scientific evidence that supports this.
On the contrary I would argue you have less energy and will therefore not be able to work as hard and burn as many calories if you haven’t eaten. It’s simple really, if you don’t fuel the engine (in this case your body) it won’t run/work properly.
Conclusion – Top Exercise Myths Revealed
All in all, if it isn’t logical and doesn’t make sense it probably isn’t true. My top exercise myths show there are no magic formulas or shortcuts with exercise (I wish I could say there were!)
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