At a time when everyone is prioritizing health and wellness more than ever – thanks to the third year of the Covid 19 pandemic – many people carelessly pass on exercise advice to each other, which in turn is passed on to others, making it easy to fall into the trap of false fitness beliefs. It is important to ensure that your workouts are safe and effective by learning to distinguish fitness facts from many myths or outright fictions.
In this day and age, there are many myths and half-truths about fitness. Working out can sometimes lead to injury, and misconceptions about workouts or exercise programs can keep you and your family from getting the best and safest workout possible. No problem, because we’ve enlisted the help of fitness experts to debunk the myths that everyone believes, but are far from true.
- A glass of detox water will make you healthy and help you lose weight.
Preety Tyagi, senior health coach, nutritionist and founder of MY22BMI, reveals, “It can’t help alone. It’s a combination of activity and a complete meal plan to follow throughout the day to realize the benefits of a detox drink like nimbu pani or apple cider vinegar and become healthy.”
- A cup of kadha can keep you healthy and safe from all diseases.
“This is a myth,” replies Preety Tyagi. He adds, “It’s important to know how well you are providing your body with the nutrients it needs on a daily basis. Kadha can help, but only if you eat healthy and follow good lifestyle habits.”
- No pain… No gain.
Karan Sethi Chopra, certified personal trainer and founder of The Iron Hub Gym, says, “A little discomfort isn’t a big deal, but if you’re in severe pain, chances are you’re doing something wrong or have suffered an injury. You need to stop, monitor your condition and consult your trainer.”
- You should exercise on an empty stomach.
“It’s a common misconception that exercising in the morning on an empty stomach will help you lose weight quickly and effectively,” says Karan Sethi Chopra. She explains, “After exercising on an empty stomach, you may feel weak and dizzy. The body needs fuel to build muscle and burn calories. Be sure to have a snack or fruit 30 to 45 minutes before your workout.
- Lifting heavy weights makes you fat, especially women.
According to Karan, this is one of the most common misconceptions in the fitness industry that persists despite the abundance of information available, as many people associate the word “muscle” with bulk. He points out that the male hormone testosterone is responsible for muscle size and other male characteristics. There is 15 to 20 times less testosterone in a woman’s body than in a man’s. This is best done under the guidance of a competent trainer.
- Abs are the best exercise for the core.
“Workouts that target specific parts of the body are not always helpful, because while they burn calories, they don’t address the fat cells in that body part,” Karan says. She adds, “To really tone your waist, it’s best to do exercises with multiple muscles that target each area of the torso.”
- Spend hours at the gym or work out at home to stay in shape.
Miten Kakaiya, fitness instructor and founder of Miten Says Fitness, refutes this claim: “While it’s true that you need to move and exercise to stay in shape, you don’t need to spend hours in a gym to do so!” He continues: “First understand that your body doesn’t do the work of breaking down fat and building muscle that you do. It does the work even when you are at rest. So if you spend more time exercising during the day, your body will have less time to rest and recover. So the key to building a stronger body is to plan your workouts effectively.”
Second, he suggested that the quality of the workouts is more important than the amount of time spent on them. “Your workouts should be intense. Therefore, if you spend hours in the gym or working out, the chances are greater that you will reduce the intensity of your workout or increase the risk of overtraining. This can result in less effective workouts,” he adds.
Emphasizing that it’s not the workout you do in the gym or at home that counts, but what you do during the rest of the day, Miten advises, “What counts is the food you eat during the day, the thoughts you feed into your mind, your stress levels, your smoking or drinking habits, and the quality and quantity of sleep and rest you give your mind and body.” All of this adds up to your health and fitness regimen. These parameters are often ignored simply because you think you’ll be putting in extra effort at the gym tomorrow. However, they are often the key to improved health and fitness.”