Is That True? Fitness Facts and Myths

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siteIDAs a fitness professional, I get asked a lot of questions about anything and everything related to fitness, food and health. Luckily all of these areas interest me greatly and that is why I do what I do for a living. Here a few myths that I am happy to debunk and the reasons behind them.

THE MORE TIME THAT YOU SPEND IN THE GYM, THE BETTER RESULTS YOU WILL HAVE.

The quality or intensity of a workout is far more important than the quantity of time of that you spend at workouts. My workouts consist of about 20 minutes of intense cardio, 5-10 minutes of weights and 10 minutes of stretching. I mix things up quite a bit so things are always changing but the only time that I am in the gym for an hour or more is with clients.

PRE-WORKOUT STRETCHING REDUCES RISK OF INJURY OR STRETCHING IS NOT NECESSARY.

Stretching is a very important aspect of a complete fitness program. Stretching your muscles helps to reduce injuries by increasing range of motion. However, your body prefers to be stretched at its warmest point (after a workout) when you’re hot and sweaty. Stretching before a workout is not recommended as you may harm connective tissue like ligaments, tendons. Stretching the specific muscle groups that you’re working between or after sets is ok as well if you’re short on time. Hold each stretch for about 30 seconds. Research has shown that longer than that is of no increased benefit.

DOING A GAZILLION CRUNCHES WILL GIVE ME A SIX PACK.

There is no such thing at spot reducing ANY part of your body. Sorry. It’s not like plastic surgery where you can have your most hated body part removed immediately. You’ve got to earn that six pack and you start by getting rid of the layer of fat covering it. We all have the “six pack” but it’s just covered by fat. Get rid of the fat and voila- your six pack appears. The tricky part is figuring out how to do that, right? Despite what many people believe or hope, diet and exercise COMBINED is the way to achieve that.

There are no quick fixes, no magic powders. You reap what you sow when it comes to your health. Your body truly is the only thing you are guaranteed to carry with you throughout your lifetime so take care of it and it will take care of you.

If you have any fitness questions, leave a comment below.

To your good health!