Biggest Fitness Myths

With a rise of influencers on many social media platforms in the area of fitness, there is now more access than ever to workout training advice. Even though it can be an amazing thing to have so many sources to follow, it is important to remember that not all the influencers that are promoting fitness are qualified to teach or have even done their research to find out if what they are teaching is scientifically true.

Here are some of the most popular fitness MYTHS that go around the internet:

1. No Pain No Gain. This is a quote that is commonly said during an especially rough workout even though it is mostly false. It is good to push yourself but if you are in physical pain during a workout, it could be a sign of an injury. Good feelings that show improvement in strength and endurance during a workout include some fatigue and burning but if there is any type of severe or jabbing pain, stop the workout to treat the injury and rest.

2. Workouts are best in the morning. The truth is workouts aren't necessarily better in the morning and it really depends on your personal fitness goals. If your goal is to lose weight, working out in the morning during a fasting state may help to burn fat quicker. But if you are just trying to get fit and gain some muscle then any time during the day where you have time to get a workout in can be a productive workout.

3. Lifting weights will make you bulky. Females especially hear this myth a lot. The truth is no one just accidentally gets "bulky." Someone has to be lifting weights in a caloric surplus to actually get muscular gains, otherwise they just get stronger. It's actually very healthy for everybody to lift weights to strengthen muscle tissue which in turn will increase metabolism. Also if a woman wants to get some gains, let her rock those muscles!

4. You can target specific areas of your body for weight loss. How many times have you be scrolling on Instagram and seen a caption like, "I lost belly fat and got abs in just 30 days!" Or a YouTube video titled something like, "Exercises to target thigh fat." This is a major myth. Targeted fat loss has no scientific evidence. Just like we can't control which areas of our body fat decides to go to, we can't spot reduce a specific area of the body for weight loss. You can however tone up an area by targeting that specific muscle group and lose body fat through a caloric deficit.

And one more thing that goes along with targeting body parts, you can't just get rid of hip dips. If a fitness influencer tells you how to "get rid" of hip dips, don't pay any attention. Everybody has hip dips and while some may be more prevalent than others, we have them because of the ways our pelvic bones are shaped. You can reduce the look of hip dips, but they never truly go away.

5. Muscle will turn to fat if you don't use it. Muscle cells do not turn into fat cells just like fat cells do not turn into muscle cells, it just doesn't happen. Your muscles cells can however shrink in size to make up for a lack of protein in one's diet. In other words, if in a caloric deficit, without eating enough protein, the body not only burns fat cells but it also burns muscle cells giving the appearance of less muscle and only fat left.

These are just a few of the common myths seen regularly on social media platforms and other internet sources. When trying to get fit or stay fit, it is important to keep informed with the truth so that time isn't wasted trying to attain an unattainable goal.

I appreciate you taking time to read this. If you liked what you read please take a moment to like and share with friends and family. Also be sure to check out my profile to see more topics I've written on and if you're feeling generous my tips are always open. Thank you!