Getting fit and working to achieve your desired body takes a lot of dedication and commitment. For women who hop straight from work to the gym, the end result will make all the sweating out and ditching some cheesecake totally worth it. However, we can often be too blinded about our goal that we end up losing sight of the possibility of doing some things wrong and following beliefs that are inaccurate. To help you identify what to not believe, here are some popular fitness myths that badly need to be debunked.
Myth 1
Sculpting makes you less feminine
This could be one of the reasons why women, despite their desire to stay fit, would not want to go all the way and sculpt their bodies. There’s a notion that weight training could actually make women more bulky. This thought has to be corrected. Women do not produce as much testosterone as men do, so it is very unlikely for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass. Testosterone is a very anabolic hormone found in the human body, which is very important for gains in muscle mass. Men usually have about ten times more testosterone than women. Naturally, you can’t be bulky like those female bodybuilders simply because those women use anabolic steroids. This synthetic testosterone is paired with other drugs in order to achieve high degree of muscularity and get a firm and fit cellulite-free looking body.
Myth 2
Protein will make you bulky
Since we’re talking about the fear of looking bulky here, there’s another popular opinion that gets girls a little hesitant: consuming protein can make an individual build lots of muscle and look bulky. Protein builds and repairs muscle fibres damaged after doing strenuous activity such as weightlifting. Therefore it is highly important to have this in the body. As mentioned, women have lower testosterone levels compared to men, therefore having protein-rich diet will tone the body and strengthen the muscle rather than making it bulky. Australian fitness expert Belinda Benn recommends fuelling your body by getting a meal and hour before workout and then taking in a quick-absorbing protein directly after working out when the muscle can still quickly absorb. To help the body recover, eat another good meal an hour later. An important tip to remember when consuming protein shakes is to ensure that it’s not packed with calories from fat.
Myth 3
It is possible to lose fat in just one area
Most girls are guilty of this. We often hear ourselves saying, “Oh I want so bad to lose my belly fats but I do not want any changes in my other body parts.” To speak straightforwardly, this is just impossible. The body is not capable of spot reduction so you couldn’t possibly lose fat exclusively in the abdominal area the way you would have wanted to. Losing weight means having it occurring in the entire body and not just in one spot. However, because body fat is not reduced evenly, it is normal for some people to have trouble areas, for women, this is often the stomach, arms, and legs. If you want to appear more toned, a reduction in body fat and increase in muscle mass are necessary. Body fat reduction occurs when a person is in a caloric deficit, wherein there is a decrease in calorie consumption or an increase in the amount of exercise, or both. To help you achieve a caloric deficit, opt for cardiovascular training.
Myth 4
It’s not effective if it’s not at least an hour
Most of us have this idea that if we spend long hours on the treadmill, we’d have more chance of burning unwanted fats. But when it comes to working out, intensity makes more of an impact than duration. Trainer Noah Neiman of Barry’s Bootcamp suggests that, “Three intense 15-minute sessions a week have proven to be an adequate amount of stimulus to put the body in a healthy state.” So this means you can skip the two-hour long jogs and unproductive workout sets and instead go for high intensity interval training. For body sculpting, cardio exercises are advisable as they are capable of burning calories and fats while sparing the muscle mass, which is a very important factor in sculpting. Do some intense interval cardio workouts that will increase your body’s growth hormone. Different techniques may apply to different body types. You may need to take supplementary drinks and products like YOR Health to help achieve your desired figure. Whatever you do, make sure to be smart enough to do your research and seek professional help so as not to defy your purpose. And remember, do it with quality not quantity.
Author Bio
A blogger based in San Diego, California, Amanda Smith has a penchant for writing about technology and gadgets, travel and arts, health and wellness, and just about anything that tickles her fancy. When she’s not writing, she’s busy catching up on her favourite sitcoms with her yellow Labrador, Chandler Tribbiani. More of her works can be found at wordbaristas.com.