6 Fitness Myths

More and more research indicates that "regular exercise" is vital for optimal health.  Most people are aware of this, yet many do not exercise and out of those that do, many fall short of reaching their fitness goals. 

There are two big problems when it comes to exercise are:

1.  Many people are not aware of the latest research as far as what constitutes the best exercises to do.

2.  With all of our fixed time obligations, many of us have a very limited timeframe in which to get that exercise done. 

If you're ready to start an exercise program, or you want to improve the one you're already doing, keep reading. Here are several of the most common fitness myths and what to do instead:

Myth #1: Crunches Are the Key to Flat Abs - Crunches will provide some toning of your abs, but you'll get "flat" abs only by burning off fat the fat over the abdominal muscles. This means fat-burning exercises are going to be essential. Research has shown that doing abdominal exercises alone, even when performed five days a week for six weeks, has a minimal effect on subcutaneous fat stores and abdominal circumference.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is among the best fat-burning exercise out there, but even core-building planks and bridges will burn fat (and work your abs) far more effectively than crunches.

Myth #2: More Sweat Equals a Better Workout - Virtually any type of intense exercise will prompt you to sweat, but the amount of sweat isn't an indication of how many calories you've burned. Remember, sweating is a natural, essential body process designed to help your body stay cool, so exercising in warm weather (or in a heated room, such as in Bikram yoga) will create more sweating.

While you can't use your amount of sweat as a gauge of exercise intensity, you can assume that if you haven't broken into a sweat at all your exercise is probably not intense enough. Additionally, sweating in and of itself may be beneficial (independent of its association with exercise), as it can facilitate toxin excretion. And many with untreated hypothyroidism have a hard time sweating at all.

Myth #3: Running Is Bad for Your Knees - Running will not necessarily "ruin" your knees, as you may have been told. In fact, research shows that osteoarthritis of the knees is no more common in older adults who engage in long-distance running than in those who don't.

Women are up to six times more likely to suffer from a knee injury due to running, compared to men, because they may have an imbalance in strength between their quadriceps and hamstrings. Regular strength training, including of your legs, is very important if you're a runner.

HIIT, mentioned in Myth #1 is ideal for aerobic exercise.  HIIT is safer, more efficient and more effective than running. If done appropriately, however, running can be an effective part of your overall fitness plan and may even help you to live longer. But you must keep it moderate.  Too much running produces chronic inflammation, which can undue the benefits of the exercise.  I recommend not running more than 50 minutes in any given day, which is not well accepted for distance runners. 

Myth #4: Stretching Is Essential for Recovering Faster - According to recent research, stretching does little to influence blood lactate levels, which is a measurement of muscle fatigue,  after a high-intensity workout. Post-workout stretching may help you to build flexibility, but it's not necessary for recovery.

Try cooling down after a workout, for reducing muscle pain or improving recovery. Cooling down is designed to bring your heart rate down gradually, by reducing your activity over a period of about 10 minutes.  This prevents pooling of fluid in your legs.  As far a pre-workout stretching goes, the best type of stretching to do before a workout is dynamic stretching, as opposed to static stretching (which is what most people do).  Static stretching has been shown to increase joint instability, which can lead to injuries.  To warm-up. first do some moderate aerobic activity to bring up your core body temperature, followed by the dynamic stretches.  Dynamic stretches are stretches of  3-5 seconds each, with a brief pause between each rep.  You should gradually increase your range of motion with each rep.  I recommend about 10 reps of each stretch.  Your last rep should still not be quite to your maximum range of motion.

Myth #5: You've Got to Exercise for at Least 45 Minutes - Conventional aerobic exercise performed for long periods at a steady, moderate pace was long considered the "gold standard" of a good workout, but in recent years research has refuted such notions.   Instead, the HIIT mentioned in Myth #1, requires a fraction of the time compared to conventional cardio and has been shown to be FAR more efficient and effective, compared to longer, slower cardio workouts. There are many versions of HIIT, but the core premise involves maximum exertion followed by a quick rest period for a set of intervals.

I do HIIT using a recumbent bike.  I feel that you can exert a maximum intensity during your peaks, with a minimal chance of injury. 

HIIT exercises should be done two or three times a week.  Doing HIIT more frequently than two or three times a week can be counterproductive, as your body needs to recover between sessions.

Myth #6: More Exercise Time Is Better - Most people do need more exercise time, but taking time for recovery is crucial. It is important to realize you can sabotage your fitness efforts by over-exercising. In this case, your body goes into an elevated stress response, keeping your cortisol levels too high. Cortisol, also known as "the stress hormone," is secreted by your adrenal glands and is involved in a variety of important metabolic functions, such as regulating your insulin and glucose levels, and controlling inflammation. Elevated cortisol will cause your body to store fat instead of building muscle.

Recovery is absolutely crucial to your long-term success. You simply must provide your body with the opportunity to rebuild and restore itself after you stress it with intense workouts. Regardless of what type of exercise you do, always listen to your body, as it will give you important feedback about whether or not you are overexerting yourself.  A graet indicator that you need a little more rest and recovery, is if you find yourself not performing quite as well as you have been.  Remember, everyone is different and some people recover more quickly than others.  Another general rule of thumb is that the older you are, the longer it takes for you to recover.

Never begin an exercise program, especially a high intensity interval training program, without first being cleared by your doctor, as being healthy enough to do so.  It is always better to start out slowly and gradually increase your workout intensity.  That will help minimize injuries.  

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