MYTH BUSTERS

Years working in the gym industry have introduced me to so many great gym myths that people genuinely seem to believe that I feel I must expose the truth about these....it would be rude not to!

PERFORMING HUNDREDS OF SITS UPS DAILY WILL GIVE ME A FLAT STOMACH:

Wrong: sit ups will strengthen the stomach muscles, but they will not get rid of that cosy layer of blubber on top hiding the toned muscles. Following a healthy eating plan and a quality exercise programme will get rid of this and as you do you will reveal your strong, toned abs underneath!

MUSCLE TURNS TO FAT WHEN YOU DON’T EXERCISE:

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Muscle and fat are two different types of tissue in your body. They are most definitely not interchangeable.

When you quit exercising your muscle turns all wobbly and can get smaller and less defined. At the same time you continue to snaffle the same quantity of food down and before you know it you have gained a little bit more body fat on top of your decreasing muscle enhancing that wobbly look!

AS A WOMAN I SHOULDN’T DO WEIGHTS, IT WILL MAKE ME BULKY....

This is so NOT true!

Weight training is a vital part of any exercise programme. Even if you lift heavy weights you will not bulk up, guaranteed. How do I know this for sure? Well because us girls have approximately 1/3 of the amount of testosterone of a man. As such we simply cannot match the muscular size of a man without the aid of anabolic steroids, growth hormone or some other dodgy drugs. What weight training will do is give your muscles a more toned, firm appearance, help prevent future problems such as osteoporosis and raise your basal metabolic rate meaning you burn more calories just existing, good eh?!

I SHOULD STRETCH BEFORE I START MY WORKOUT...

Increasingly research is showing that stretching before a workout has not benefit and may even be detrimental in the long run. Ideally always finish your workout with a good stretch session which will be beneficial.

EATING A VERY LOW CALORIE DIET WILL MAKE ME LOSE WEIGHT....

This may be true, but what is far more important is that as soon as you begin to eat normally again you will put all the weight back on and a few pounds extra to add to the misery!

How do I know this? Well, when you eat a very low calorie diet you will lose weight very quickly...sounds good but ah nothing in life is that simple! A large proportion of the weight lost will be muscle tissue. This is disastrous as far as maintaining the weight loss is concerned. Muscle is five times more metabolically active than fat and as such needs calories to maintain it. Lose muscle and your body will require fewer calories daily to maintain it, so when you go back to your old ways of eating it is likely you will gain not only the weight you lost but a few more pounds on top.

Lose weight slowly through a healthy diet and exercise and the weight will stay off, there are no shortcuts!

THE LONGER I WORK OUT THE BETTER RESULTS I WILL GET.....

Wrong! Quality not quantity is the critical factor in achieving results. Train for your specific requirements and get the results you want. Follow the advice of a fitness professional to help you achieve your goals.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

Although your workout may involve slight discomfort, pain is not good and is not an indicator of success. Pain can be a sign that something is wrong such as a muscular strain and should definitely not be ignored.

IT’S NOT GOOD TO START EXERCISE AT AN OLDER AGE....

Exercise can be beneficial at any age. If you are taking up exercise for the first time in a long time just make sure you seek supervision from an exercise professional.

IF I EXERCISE I CAN EAT WHATEVER I WANT.....

If only! However this is not the case I’m afraid. Even those of us who spend hours every week exercising have to follow a healthy, balanced diet to avoid weight gain. Exercise alone won’t make you lose weight though it will help you create a calorie deficit needed to lose weight.

Some people gain weight when they first take up exercise as they wrongly believe they can eat whatever they want because they have exercised. An hour in the gym may only burn about 400-600kcals, so if you leave the gym and glug down a couple of large glasses of vino or snaffle down a bar of chocolate, you have just undone all that hard work!

Moderation is the answer. Eat healthily, exercise regularly and enjoy the odd treat.

Thanks

Caz