Myths about exercise are as common as myths about healthy eating and weight loss in general. Changing your lifestyle can be challenging enough without misinformation. Here are 5 common exercise myths you need to know!
Cardio machines provide accurate numbers
Even if a machine takes into account your weight, height, age and sex, the numbers the machine provides are ballpark estimations. Do not count on this number to be exact. In other words, if your machine says you burned 500 calories, you may have burned 350 or 600.
Weight lifting doesn’t help with weight loss
The saying “muscle burns more calories than fat” is actually true. Gaining muscle helps your body burn more calories, which can help with weight loss. Weight lifting at least 1-2 times per week is recommended for those trying to lose weight.
Six packs come from sit-ups
Core exercises (like sit-ups) build muscle and can turn your abdominal muscles into a strong sheet of muscle, but unless you have burned the fat off of your midsection, you won’t see them. The popular phrase “six packs are made in the kitchen” has a lot of truth to it. Six packs come from a healthy diet and intense exercise over a period of time.
Weight lifting makes women build masculine muscle
This just simply isn’t true. Men have testosterone, which contributes to their muscle development. Women do not gain a masculine muscular appearance from basic weight lifting. The type of weight lifting you do impacts your end results, but looking masculine is not a “risk” of weight lifting.
Workouts should last at least an hour
First, any workout is better than no workout. A 10 minute walk is better than sitting. Second, the length a workout “should” be depends on many things. One of them being what type of exercise you are doing. If you are walking to lose weight, an hour per day would be appropriate. However, if you are using HIIT workouts, you can get an even greater benefit, both to weight loss and to your health, from just 20 minutes of exercise.
Olivera Weight Loss specializes in helping people lose weight.
We use research-proven strategies, approaches and tools to help our patients achieve successful weight loss. We offer Phentermine, an FDA approved appetite suppressant proven to help patients lose weight, is available at Olivera Weight Loss for patients who qualify. We offer all services in a caring, supportive environment. For more information on pricing and our other services, please visit our webpage or give us a call at 773-327-6624. Follow us on Facebook for free weight loss tips, recipes and more.
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