There’s no scarcity of knowledge sources on this planet in the present day. That is each a blessing and a curse. On one hand, we actually have numerous assets at our fingertips. On the flip facet, the out there info isn’t at all times credible or dependable. That is notably true in relation to well being, vitamin and health “recommendation.”
It takes little effort to find a “supply” whose writer took artistic liberties with the science of train and provided an interpretation that in the end sends the well-intended reader down a path of bewilderment. Health myths usually begin with a grain of bewilderment and spiral into “find out how to” steerage with wildly questionable rationales and unfounded claims. Listed below are a number of of the preferred myths these of us within the well being and health trade battle to bust:
The Health Fantasy: Belly crunches offers you a six-pack.
The Match Fact
As a well being and health skilled, I persistently advocate for constructing a powerful core utilizing quite a lot of methods past the widespread belly crunch. Core work, together with belly crunches, is a extremely efficient technique for rising muscular endurance, power, backbone stabilization and posture. Nonetheless, numerous belly crunches won’t essentially reveal the “six-pack” look. Acquiring that chiseled midsection takes greater than perpetual toe touches. To flatten the abdomen, one should work to realize a positive change in physique composition (cut back fats and construct muscle). That is completed via a strategic mixture of cardiovascular exercise, resistance and core coaching (to extend resting metabolic fee and power), that are all supported by wholesome and balanced consuming habits.
The Health Fantasy: If girls weightlift, they’ll get “cumbersome.”
The Match Fact
Nothing may very well be farther from the reality. Girls can and will carry weights (heavy ones) with out the worry of changing into something greater than wholesome, toned and powerful. Word that these traits aren’t synonymous with “cumbersome.” One of many basic components for muscle development is testosterone, which is a hormone present in excessive concentrations in males, however not a lot in girls (girls do have testosterone, however not within the ranges current in males). Whereas some females are predisposed to creating vital muscle tone and dimension, this isn’t the case for all. Girls lack the chemical make-up required to “bulk up” with out excessive coaching volumes, strict weight-reduction plan habits and doable supplementation. Luckily, increasingly girls are getting the message and dropping the sunshine weights.
The Health Fantasy: If resistance coaching stops, muscle will flip to fats.
The Match Fact
The very first thing it is advisable know is lean tissue (muscle) and non-lean tissue (adipose/fats) are totally separate supplies with totally different biochemical buildings, metabolic charges and capabilities. If a person (that is true for women and men) stops lifting weights and adopts a sedentary life-style, lean tissue will atrophy (weaken) and cut back in dimension. Muscle won’t and can’t flip to fats. Nonetheless, the resting metabolic fee will sluggish because of decreased muscle mass, as a result of muscle tissue is extra metabolically energetic than fats tissue.
The Match Fantasy: Figuring out within the “fat-burning zone” helps you reduce weight.
The Match Fact
That is one I like to contemplate a “half-truth.” Sure, a “fat-burning zone” does exist—it’s the purpose at which lipids are getting used as the first supply of gas. Lipids are usually utilized at relaxation (together with sleep) and through very low-intensity actions. Whereas that half is likely to be true, fewer energy are burned throughout lower-intensity actions. In reality, the variety of energy burned on this “zone” is simply too low to provoke (or preserve) weight reduction. If the purpose is weight reduction, a higher-intensity exercise is fascinating. The general purpose needs to be to extend the center fee and burn off a major variety of energy.
Keep in mind, profitable weight reduction methods are a wedding between bodily exercise, sound vitamin, hormonal steadiness and optimistic modifications in life-style habits.
The Match Fantasy: Stretching earlier than a exercise is useful.
The Match Fact
That is additionally a “sure and no” sort of assertion. Well being and health professionals advocate for warm-up and cool-down durations for good causes. First, a warm-up prepares the physique to satisfy the calls for of a exercise. A warm-up does this by rising muscle temperature and coronary heart fee, releasing particular hormones, getting you mentally “fired up,” and bettering vary of movement. Nonetheless, static stretching needs to be carried out on the finish of the exercise through the cool-down portion. The best sort of stretching earlier than a exercise is a dynamic sequence of workout routines. Such a stretching includes the entire physique, giant muscle groups and a number of joints. The purpose is to activate the muscle groups you’ll use through the exercise. Static stretching, then again, is targeted on elongation and rest (usually). You don’t need to enter a exercise in a relaxed and stretched state—chances are high you’ll cut back power output and your exercise received’t have the identical high quality or effectiveness as if you happen to have been to save lots of the static maintain for the tip.
Health myths have at all times and can probably proceed to plague the trade and confuse even probably the most dedicated health followers. As you seek for solutions to your health questions, go to respected web sites and authorities resembling ACE. The underside line: If it sounds too good to be true, it more than likely is. Be certain the writer’s credentials and scientific proof again up the data you discover earlier than taking it as fact.
Proceed to interrupt down fantasy and actuality with the reality behind these widespread vitamin myths.
