The Myths About Health and Fitness: The Hard Cold Truth
Myth #1 - You are a part of the 1% of people that just can't help themselves.
A lot of people like to think that they are a part of the 1% of people that can't help themselves when it comes to fitness and healthy eating. These people tend to believe that their case is indifferent; that they are doing everything right, and that there is just something wrong with them.
This partially stems from the idea that having a medical condition can prevent you from training and eating properly. However, even doctors misdiagnose people on a regular basis. Most doctors don't know a great deal about nutrition and how to keep their bodies healthy, even though we believe them to. In my line of work, I have trained doctors and given them advice about nutrition. Trust me it is very rare that something is medically wrong with you so much as to keeping you from training and losing fat. In the end you need to be honest with yourself about what you are doing before book marking WebMD.
Myth #2 - Your metabolism slows down with age.
As we age we become less active. We lose more muscle tissue and natural strength, due to years of inactivity and poor diet. However, you can control your metabolism, even as you age. Generally speaking, your metabolism will slow with age, but it is in your hands to control as to how fast it slows down.
Myth #3 – Cortisol is keeping you from losing fat.
I just love these new pill commercials that say Cortisol is keeping you from losing fat. However, Cortisol is not to be blamed for body fat. Excess calories are what causes individuals to produce body fat.
One of the most common things that does keep people from losing body fat is stress. Stress can prevent you from sticking to a daily exercise plan, and taking in a healthy diet. By keeping a strict dietary plan, and exercising daily, this allows your body to handle stress a lot better, and therefore causes your body to burn off fat much easier. As a result, you create a good state of mind, feel better about yourself, and produce less stress in your life.
Myth #4 - You can "tone" your body with higher reps and lower weights.
Lower reps and heavier weights create a higher intensity. The more intense your workout session, the more you utilize and exhaust energy stored in the body. Therefore, the more you boost your metabolism with afterburn, the more fat you will lose. "Toning" does not exist. It is a made up word in the magazine world to make women feel better about using weights. "Toning" simply implies more definition, and better definition comes from lower body fat. Lifting a weight a bunch of times simply produces muscle endurance. It does little to nothing for fat loss.
Myth #5 - Carbs make you fat.
Carbs do not make you fat, excess calories make you fat. Fat does not make you fat, and neither does protein: excess calories do!
However, you do need carbs to lose fat. The key is a balanced diet and eating to gain energy. A low carb diet is not the key to healthy eating. Stick to less processed foods, and more whole foods and you should be set.
Leigh Peele is a certified trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a nationally published author on fitness and nutrition.
You can find out more about Leigh Peele and fat loss by going to fatlosstroubleshoot.com
