Fitness myths have been running rampant online, and they could be holding you back from making helpful changes to your lifestyle.
In today’s post, I’m going to introduce you to 4 fitness myths that are particularly destructive. Not only will I reveal why these fitness myths are wrong, I’ll show you what you can gain in disregarding them.
Myth Madness
#1 – Lifting heavy will get you too big!
Are you afraid that if you start lifting heavy weights, you will end up looking like The Hulk? Fear not! It is extremely difficult to build muscle mass, even over the course of a lifetime.
New clients of mine often warn me that they are hesitant to lift heavy because they don’t want to get too big. They are terrified that if they train too hard, they will turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight.
Fortunately for them, building muscle is a very slow process. Although new trainees may experience rapid progress in their first few months of lifting (known as “noob gains”), these results quickly taper off.
Without the aid of anabolic steroids, bodybuilders lifting weights and eating high calorie diets are lucky to gain even 2lbs of muscle over an entire year!
The bottom line is there is no reason to be afraid of lifting heavy weights. The benefits of doing so include creating a healthier, fat-burning metabolism, stronger bones & joints, cognitive enhancement, a more shapely physique, and more.
Interested in reading more about these benefits? Click here.
#2 – Carbs make you fat!
Some people are convinced: carbs are bad for you. They believe carbohydrates singlehandedly cause weight gain, and the only way to lose weight is to eliminate them from their diet.
But, are carbs actually at fault? No they are not. High carb foods are tasty and often eaten in excess. Since most people aren’t counting calories, people do not realize they are simply overeating. And eating excess calories will always cause weight gain, regardless of if they’re coming from carbs, fats, or proteins.
And did you know that carbohydates are the brain’s preferential energy source? Indeed, not only does your brain love carbs, but so do your muscles. So rejoice, as there is no need to demonize these deliciously useful macronutrients.
However, not everyone can tolerate the same amount of carbs in their diets. Depending on family history of diabetes, blood work, current lifestyle habits, etc., one person’s tolerance for carbohydrates can differ drastically from another’s. They may not need to be eliminated from the diet entirely, but they may need to be reduced to keep your health in check.
And there is some truth to the idea that decreasing carb consumption can quickly decrease bodyweight. But this sudden weight loss is not fat loss — it’s water loss. Ultimately, high-fiber carbohydrates are welcome addition in a balanced diet.
Need more convincing? Check out what these experts have to say.
#3 – Supplements are worthless!
When it comes to getting fit, taking supplements is definitely not a priority. However, they are often wrongfully dismissed as being a waste of money.
Various news outlets have published articles suggesting that supplements are worthless, and that they could be dangerous. These claims completely ignore decades of scientific research on supplementation, including vitamin D, E, B complex, and omega-3 fatty acids. All of these nutrients play significant roles in disease prevention and decreasing all-cause mortality.
The reality is that most people consume inadequate levels of nutrients that affect our health. And supplementing with these missing nutrients does in fact help individuals achieve adequate levels.
In an ideal world, we would all be eating a perfectly balanced diet that provided us with adequate levels of all necessary vitamins and minerals. But this is a pipedream. Even health conscious individuals struggle to consume the quantities of different food sources needed to sustain these nutrients. This is exactly why dietary supplements exist in the first place!
So don’t go dumping your supplements into the trash. Re-evaluate your dietary needs through routine bloodwork and discuss a game plan with your physician. Educate yourself on what foods include the nutrients you need, and try to include these foods in your diet as much as possible. But you should consider filling in the gaps with dietary supplements.
Don’t believe me? See what Dr. Rhonda Patrick thinks here.
#4 – Vegan diets are dangerous!
If there is one type of diet that people love to hate, it’s the vegan diet. Whether it’s their own insecurity regarding animal consumption or their assumptions that vegans think they’re holier than thou, people love to tell vegans how terrible their diet is for them.
I personally have had several family members preach to me about how their daughter or co-worker tried a vegan diet and then suffered the most terrible health symptoms of which the only solution was to start eating meat and dairy again.
Now let me set the record straight: a vegan diet is NOT optimal. It does inherently lack essential nutrients that are necessary to the human body. Additionally, vegetarian sources of protein do not provide as much bang for your buck as animal protein sources do.
With that said, a vegan diet can be constructed to be just as healthy as an omnivore’s diet. If you just finished reading through Myth #3 regarding supplementation, you might be thinking…can’t vegans supplement with whatever nutrients are missing from their diets? Yes, they can — and they do.
If someone eating a vegan diet does not supplement to offset the inherent deficiencies in their diet, then yes, they may encounter health issues. But, if they are countering those deficiencies with proper supplementation, there should be no issues.
See what others think here.
Conclusion
There you have it: 4 fitness myths. You may not have believed that all of these bits of misinformation, but in the pursuit of fitness, you will likely encounter them face to face sooner than you think.
As you saw, health and fitness is complex and requires a comprehensive approach to fully understand right from wrong.
Now I want to turn it over to you:
Which of these fitness myths did you find most surprising?
Let me know by dropping me a comment below!
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