3 exercise myths – what are they are why are they a myth?
For every two fitness truths, there's a lie! Some of these lie’s we just grow up believing and sometimes it’s hard to determine which is which! When it comes to YOUR body and your exercise routine it’s always good to do your research. Here’s my top 3 myths broken down for you.
No pain, no gain
When it comes to exercise, one of the most vital things that people fail (or refuse) to understand is that everybody is different; a type of exercise that works for Sally won’t work for Janet. Exercising for general health should invigorate not exhaust!
There are certainly benefits of exercise that can increase with intensity – but what you do on a daily basis must be considered too so you don’t fatigue or burn out. There is no need to overdo it. For people who over train (6 – 7 high intensity workouts a week), I recommend mixing in some types of movement that will help benefit your nervous system too (like Pilates or Yoga). The calming effect of the exercise can actually help you to burn fat stores more effectively!
If you are inactive, starting out with a daily 30-minute brisk walk can deliver significant health benefits. The ultimate goal would be to build up to the combination of resistance training with restorative movement and breath practices woven in.
Crunch your way to abs:
I’m sure we have all heard the expression “Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym” well it’s true! Sit ups, crunches and Pilates are all great for building core stability and toning your abdominal wall, but the catch is you need to have a good diet in place too. We need to lower our overall body fat to see a difference around our abdominals and reveal the hard work of all those years of crunching!
Try introducing more gut-happy and low inflammatory ingredients and recipes into your diet to really make a difference and include interval training with or around your core workouts.
Sitting is the new smoking! Exercise will counteract the desk time right?
Wrong; Sedentary behavior in our modern society is having serious health implications with Aussies reportedly being sedentary for 7 to 10 hours each day (outside of sleeping). Unfortunately, gym sessions and no amount of vigorous exercise can compensate for extended amounts of sitting. Sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for chronic disease. This means that we must spend less time sitting at our desks and in our cars, additional to exercise. Even if you are working out 5 times a week, minimising and especially breaking up sedentary time is required to reduce your overall health risk. So take the stairs, walk to your boss’s office instead of emailing her, take a lap of the block in your coffee break – mix it up!
