To help you cut through the conflicting information regarding exercise here are some common misconceptions which could be keeping your scale stuck!
MYTH 1: Running on a treadmill puts less stress on your knees than running on aside walk.
Running is a great form of endurance training but it can impact the knees and since it's the force of your body weight on your joints that causes the stress, it's the same whether you're on a treadmill or on a sidewalk, hence proper warm up pre-run and stretches of your hamstrings and knee post-run is necessary to keep injury at bay.
MYTH 2: Working out on an "abs machine" will get you rid of the belly fat.
Crunches help to strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture, but the fact is unless and until you don’t work on your balanced diet and right eating at the right time, your efforts of getting a flat belly will all be in vain. So a combination of diet and exercise is the key.
MYTH 3: More you sweat, more you lose!
Weight loss is about burning calories and not “sweating”. Sweat has little to do with weight loss. Sweat occurs when the body’s heating up which can occur while you’re exercising or sunbathing! When on a weight loss programme what should matter most to you is- 'calories out’ should be more than ‘calories in’. Timing and intensity of the workout are more associated with weight loss!
MYTH 4: Exercising Can Erase All of Your Bad Eating Habits
You can easily out-eat your exercising. It’s essential to both workout and eat right for successful weight-loss and to maintain good health.We wish! Not only do most of us overestimate how many calories we burn during our workouts, we underestimate how many calories we’re eating too. When it comes to sculpting your body and enhancing your performance, without a diet to support your training you are wasting your time in the gym.
MYTH 5: Doing weight training adds up weight
One of the most conflicting topics at many of the gyms. But unless you’re also consuming a ton more calories, your muscles will only grow to a healthy, normal level that promotes an increased metabolism. You have to really work for every ounce of muscle that you gain, and it’s not as easy as most women think to sprout big muscles.
MYTH 6: Only Walking can lose weight.
Solely walking, Really? Walking can be a great part of your exercise regime but including other types of exercise like swimming, jogging, stair-climbing and resistance or functional training using your body weight can give you some optimum results. So if you have decided to devote time to exercise I strongly recommend you to choose a range of various other forms too!
MYTH 7: Extra Hours in the gym helps lose faster.
A longer workout doesn’t mean a better one!It depends on your regularity at the gym! Doing the same exercise day in and day out may not give you any difference hence either change type of exercise or intensity of the workout. Be wise enough to plan exercise to minimize time and maximize the benefits!
MYTH 8: Working out at the gym is better than working out at home.
A gym or a home gym, both are equally effective. What really matters is the individual’s motivation and personal belief to kick start the exercise regime, whether it’s on the lawn outside or a gym 5kms away!