5 more fitness myths

As we noted in a previous article, there is all kinds of advice out there relating to fitness. Some of those are things that “everybody knows”.  Let’s talk about a few of those any just how true they are.

1. Sit ups and crunches are the key to a trim waist and a six pack: False. Sit-ups and crunches do build your abdominal muscles and, like any form of exercise, burns some calories. But there is more to it than that. Slimming the waist is also a matter of diet. What you are eating (and how much of it) has a bigger effect. The sometimes elusive six pack isn’t about doing endless ab exercises as much as leaning out the layer of fat that covers the muscles. Also, foods such as frozen dinners or many fast food items are high in sodium, which leads you to retain water and keeps the muscle definition from showing.
2. You need to have a sports drink with you when you work out: It depends. If you’re doing an endurance activity, like running or cycling, or some long term session where you will be active for longer than an hour and a half, then something like Gatorade might not be a bad idea. For anything less than that, stick to water. Staying hydrated is very important and water does a good job of that. But sessions shorter than 90 minutes usually aren’t working you to the point where you are going to run short on glucose or electrolytes. At that point, without needing the extras from a sports drink, you’re simply adding extra calories.
3. Since I’m working out, I can eat anything: False. Anyone remember Michael Phelps talking about the gazillion calories he eats every day, but he is still lean and muscular? This writer wishes Phelps had never shared that story. Neither of us is Michael Phelps. He’s a genetic freak and doing daily workouts that would leave many of us tired just from watching it.  A McDonald’s Angus Bacon & Cheese burger is 790 calories. Running for 30 minutes at a 10 mph pace burns about 700 calories. Do the math.
4. Short workouts aren’t worth the time: False. Are you going to win the Boston Marathon by doing nothing but 20 minute runs? Nope. But that same 20 minute run still has more value than saying “forget it, I’m watching Dancing with the Stars.” Even 10-15 minutes of light calisthenics is better than 2 hours of thinking about the workout you would have done if you had more time.
5. If you’re not sweating, it’s not doing any good: False. It’s true that it’s tough to do just about anything outside in Southwest Florida without sweating. Just standing around brings sweat most of the time here. But sweat isn’t necessarily an indicator of how hard you are working. It’s a sign that your body is cooling itself. Environmental factors have as much to do with it as anything else. Think about it. Running in a Southwest Florida summer might have you sweating buckets but running the same distance at the same pace when it is 40 degrees out won’t have you sweating the same way. Is that cooler weather run suddenly less strenuous? You can burn calories and perform significant amounts of exercise without sweating by the gallon.

If you have questions or suggestions, please email me. To stay up on fitness news, articles and events, follow on Twitter @FMFitness.