9 Diet And Exercise Myths Dispelled

by Sr. Editor on April 16, 2008

In their quest to get healthier, lose weight and look better, people often fall victim to a host of diet and exercise myths. The truth about diet and exercise both is that there is no magic pill or panacea food that will enable people to instantly shed pounds, build muscle and lose fat in an overnight fashion – or at least none that are truly healthy for the body and offer long-term rewards.

a picture of a workout ball
Photo by: adria.richards

Exercise Myths

Exercise myths are the ones most dieters seek out and truly desire to believe. The fact is most of us would rather do anything but exercise. Because of this, we’re all too eager to try fat-burning pills, fad ideas and more. Exercise requirements for most people aren’t all that bad. Busting the myths and doing it “right” only requires a basic mix of cardiovascular exercise and a little bit of strength training. When the two combine on a regular basis, the weight can come off and health can be maintained. A pill cannot replace the health benefits of exercise.

Dieting Myths

When it comes to diet myths, there are more than any one person could possibly write down. From the cabbage diet to consuming nothing but liquid proteins, there are diet ideas out there that range from the wild to the ridiculous. If you really want to lose weight and get healthier, the American Heart Association offers some solid advice on eating, recommending a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats and other healthy choices. Also stressing that variety is the spice of life, the truth is that nothing short of a healthy, well-balanced diet plan will work for long-term rewards, including maintaining appropriate body weight and health status.

9 Myths About Diet and Exercise:

#1. You Must Sweat To Get A Good Workout.

Sweating is the body’s way of cooling its core temperature. There are many calorie-burning workouts that don’t make you sweat. Low impact exercises include yoga, light strength training, ballet, and even going for a walk.

#2. Beverages Like Milk And Coffee Can Really Help You Loose Weight.

While some studies show that calcium helps to catabolize fat and coffee has appetite-suppressing properties, neither can be relied upon for significant weight loss when consumed in safe amounts.

#3. A Healthy Diet And Regular Exercise Turns Fat Into Muscle.

Muscle and fat are biologically different and one cannot turn into another. Healthier lifestyles may shrink fat cells and contribute to weight loss. You may even build muscle, but fat does not convert to muscle.

#4. An Easy Way To Loose Weight Is By Becoming A Vegetarian.

Over-eating, and not exercising is unhealthy for vegetarians and meat-lovers. And making abd food choices that are high in fat with little nutritional value can lead to weight gain in either situation.

#5. Doing Lots Of Crunches Will Make Your Stomach Trim and Slim.

The best way to correct a flabby mid-section is to burn fat and strengthen abdominal muscles at the same time. Many stomachs are saggy due to excess fat, not weak muscles and doing 300 crunches/ day will certainly strengthen the abdominal muscles but won’t do anything about the underlying fat cells. Crank up the cardio in combination with those body-sculpting crunches.

#6. Skipping Meals Is A Good Way To Eat Less And Loose Weight.

Skipping meals may cause you to be hungrier and eat more when you do eat. Calorie-counting may be a more effective way to ensure proper nutritional intake for your body.

#7. Weight-lifting Makes Females Bulky.

Light weight-lifting with many repetitions is a common method used to tone muscles. Building large, defined muscles is much harder than that and takes a lot of discipline. Ask any body-builder if it’s that easy.

#8. Eating Late At Night Will Make You Gain Weight.

Calories don’t know what time of day it is. When you eat is not as important as what you eat, how much you eat, and how much physical activity you take part in. So late-night snacking doesn’t automatically mean added pounds if you eat a small portion of something good for your body.

#9. Natural Weight Loss Supplements And Products Are Safe To Use And Effective.

Herbal and natural products are not necessarily safe and often are unregulated. Some can be harmful to one person but not affect another. Consult with a physician before using any weight loss product.

Diet and exercise are not necessarily fun to consider, but the fact is these two make the best combination for weight loss and overall health. If you really want to make a difference in your life, use your Chicago apartment as a base for healthy eating and fun, physical activity. You’ll be glad you did!

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Getting to Know Your Apartment Gym
10.14.08 at 1:42 pm

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Asathy 10.09.09 at 5:07 pm

The widespread rate of succeeder of these weight loss platforms which are forever contending with each other is more or less the same. And the most funny part is that these programmes all neglect at the identical hurdle in wound of doing really tall necessitates. This encounters because the consistency gets used to the stiffness through which it is position and corrects itself to the new routine and the metabolic process slows down. You have to be brainier than nature to be able to prank the body into turning a loss weight. Without watching this footprint then you will always admiration why you cannot fall back weightiness.

diet-vegetarian-recipes 10.13.09 at 8:13 pm

Hello, pleasant and explanatory article. I wish to add a few notices. If you have tight cholesterol, then you may inquire, will a low fat diet lower cholesterol? This is a indispensable question, because it is a good known fact that the most working way to lower cholesterol is through diet. For Certain one component of a diet for lowering cholesterol will include being low in fat. Simply this is simply part of the report. It is master to clear that it is the saturated fattens that you want to eliminate it from the foods you take.

leanmusclex 12.02.09 at 4:13 pm

ive been lookin to build muscle and lose weight for some time now thank you for the information

Joshua Soltysik 12.08.09 at 5:25 am

I’ve been on many diets and eating plans but…. Suzanne Somers’ books are fantastic. I’ve bought and read both of her books. I started to Somerize in October and I’m now down 24 pounds. At first I thought how confusing but I just started and now it’s an everyday part of life. Giving up caffine was the best thing I could of done. I now drink decafe and it taste the same! The receipes in her books are GREAT! and easy to prepare and cook. My goal for the Holiday’s was to maintain my weight and I did! I even lost 3 pounds during the Holiday’s. I enjoyed what I wanted and had the greatest Holiday’s ever. Thanks to Suzanne Somers’ and her brillant research!

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