Thanks to the internet, it’s incredibly easy to find a wealth of valuable information on fitness, health, diet, and weight loss. Sadly, that also has led to the dissemination of MIS-information. For every scientifically-proven health tip, there are ten wild claims made by food, supplement, and medicine manufacturers. A surprising amount of what we believe to be true is actually erroneous, and it’s all thanks to the fact that the internet provides people with a place to share their (often wrong) opinions with the world without oversight.
Here are four of the most common myths about exercise and weight loss.
We’ve debunked them, so you know the truth:
Myth #1: Weight loss is hard, painful work.
Truth — We’ve all heard the saying, “No pain, no gain”. But this is referring to one very specific element of weight loss: the burning you feel in your muscles as you approach fatigue in your workouts. Weight loss SHOULDN’T be painful, and shouldn’t involve suffering. Yes, adding more exercise and controlling your diet can be difficult, but your goal isn’t to starve yourself thin or suffer on a strict diet. If your exercise program is causing you pain, you’re doing it wrong!
Find a diet you can sustain for the long term, and work with a trainer to ensure you’re exercising correctly. THAT is the key to proper weight loss.
Myth #2: Exercise is more important than diet.
Truth — Diet alone will not achieve healthy, effective weight loss, but neither will exercise on its own. It’s only a combination of the two that will give you real results.
If you ONLY diet, your body will break down muscle as well as fat. You’ll end up with the same amount of body fat, just less muscle to show for your efforts.
If you ONLY exercise, your poor food choices and over-eating habits will negate all your hard work in the gym.
By combining a balanced, calorie-restricted diet with a quality exercise program, you will see real results!
