5 exercise myths that should be tossed out the window
For every two or three exercise truths, there is going to be one false claim or a lie that is going to deceive people and make it harder for them to lose weight. These little unintentional false claims disguised as ‘health advice’ from friends, family, coworkers or the fitness enthusiast in the park or gym can become an obstacle in your path to fitness and health.
It is really hard to determine the true claims from the false ones out there so we will help you with the top 6 exercise and workout myths and debunk them for you.
- Lifting weights is going to make you bulky (for women)
Strength training is important for both women and men. The amount of weight you lift will determine how much body muscle you will pack on. But for women, it’s different because they don’t have testosterone levels like men do, so it is highly unlikely they will develop any bulkiness on their body. In fact they will become more toned. In addition to that, lifting weight will make your bones stronger.
- Sweating a lot means you have done a lot of exercise
This is only partially true because sweating is not the main factor in determining your workout intensity. The weather and the environment also play a huge role in making a person sweat. There are people who don’t sweat as much in general anyway and when they workout, they think that they didn’t work hard enough because they aren’t soaking wet. Plus working out in an air-conditioned gym vs. working out in the park during summer can confuse you too.
- Cardio is the way to go
Cardio is a great way to keep the heart pumping and breaking a sweat but it is not the be-all end-all way to weight loss. Just running on a treadmill will not be enough if you are aiming to lose weight. You need to incorporate weight training to your fitness regimen in order to create lean muscle. This will help you burn more calories, tone your body and lose your weight easily.
- If you aren’t sore then you need to work out more
A lot of people have the whole ‘no pain no gain’ approach going on for them when it comes to working out. It is not necessary that you will be sore the next day if you do a workout. Drinking adequate water, taking supplements and getting proper sleep can reduce soreness. So don’t overstress your body next time by doing excessive exercise just because you didn’t get really sore.
- Yoga doesn’t make you lose weight
Whoever thinks that yoga is not a proper way to lose weight clearly has never set foot in a yoga class in their life. Most people believe yoga to be a fancy form of stretching and chanting a few words in Sanskrit. Sure, there are many great yoga poses that stretch and relax the body but high level yoga tones you and helps you in losing weight like any other good workout.
