Being fit and active is the ultimate goal. But, when it comes to reaching that goal through an effective planning process, it seems like everyone has an opinion. Maybe you have even started believing in some of these fitness ideas that you have heard from friends, family, and acquaintances. Looking for new fitness gear? MAGMA offers the essentials for your home gym. Everything from kettlebell sets to resistance bands. Visit MAGMA Fitness for more info.
Didn’t your work buddy tell you that there isn’t much point in working work if you can’t work out in the morning? What about your cousin, who suggested about ten different types of energy drinks?
Before you start believing in everything that you heard from all quarters, did you ever stop to wonder how many of these ideas are nothing more than myths? Though some of these myths are harmless (and just pointless to follow!), many of them can affect your fitness goals.
Keeping that in mind, let’s go ahead and burst some fitness myths that are harmful to your health.
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The glorious idea of ‘no pain, no gain.’
“No pain, no gain”- you have probably seen this line plastered all over your fitness center. Though the idea sounds quite glorifying, it’s not something you should blindly follow in your path to fitness.
There is a very thin line of distinction between pain and soreness after exercise, and people frequently fail to realize this difference.
You are creating pressure on specific muscles at the time of exercising leads to soreness. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) stems from muscle tearing and inflammation. If you are suffering from excessive soreness, in particular, it’s best to rest those muscles and work on another category of muscles.
However, if you are in pain, simply stop continuing with the workout. Make sure to see a doctor if the pain in your muscles persists.
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Morning is the best time for working out
It is a common belief that morning exercise boosts your metabolism. The truth is that the best time to exercise depends on when your body feels ready for physical activity. You can go for that morning run if you are up for it. But, catching up on your exercise routine in the afternoon or evening will also give you the same results.
If you are really keen on having a morning workout schedule, make sure to not lose sleep at night. Early morning workouts after sleep-deprived nights will adversely affect your metabolism and your fitness outcomes.
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Taking rest days is not good for your fitness
There are no rest days when the ultimate goal is a fit body, right? Wrong! Think of how your body needs to sleep for resting and rejuvenating after a long day. In the same way, your muscles also have to recover after a strenuous workout routine.
You need to have rest days between your gym time to ensure that your muscles get enough time to deal with hormonal changes, mood swings, and fatigue. Moreover, altering between rest periods and workouts will reduce your chances of pain, strains, and injuries.
So, don’t pay attention to people who tell you to come to the gym every day. Working out thrice a week is enough for your fitness. You can exercise for an extra day if you are into strenuous workouts.
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Your diet needs to include more protein
Though protein is a crucial part of the diet for an athlete, overdoing, it will adversely impact your health. Ideally, you should have one gram of protein per pound bodyweight. For instance, if your weight is around 85 kg, you should ideally have 187 grams of proteins in the daily diet.
If your protein intake is more than this amount, then you are unknowingly inviting stress to the kidney. You have higher health risks if your main source of protein is animal protein, which is high in saturated fat content.
It is best not to fixate on protein in the diet, and also include recommended daily nutrient intakes like fats, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins.
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Weight lifting will turn your fat into muscles
You cannot turn fat into muscle. Period.
Physiologically, fat and muscles are two completely different tissues. Tissues cannot be changed from one type to another like that.
The fatty tissue (adipose tissue) is present under your skin. It is found between muscles and all around the internal organs like your heart. Muscle tissue, on the other hand, is of three types and is found all over your body. Weight training will help you in building muscle tissues around the fat tissues.
The right way to reduce your fat tissues is to have a healthy diet with lean proteins, whole grains, and lots of veggies. Also, banning all fats from your diet is a bad idea if you want to lose weight. Make sure you have healthy fats like fish and olive oil.
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Yoga is too gentle to cause any injuries
Wrong postures during yoga will make you say “ouch” rather than “om.”
You have as many chances of an injury in yoga as you do in other forms of exercise. The most common forms of injury from yoga include muscle pain, though it is also known to make existing pain worse.
However, don’t let that deter you from yoga because the health benefits of this ancient form of workout are immense. Yoga can visibly increase strength and flexibility and lower blood pressure. Yoga can also lessen your existing pain.
But, to get all these benefits of yoga, you will have to do the poses correctly. It will be helpful to have an instructor to guide you about it. Make sure to inform your instructor about any pre-existing limitations or injuries you have.
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Pop Up Anti-Inflammatory Pills for Soreness
Soreness is a normal thing when you work out. Many people think that popping an anti-inflammatory pill either before or after exercise will reduce it. The truth is it can do more harm than any good as they have many side-effects.
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They can harm your colon and stomach
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If you are not properly hydrated, they can affect the kidneys
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They might lead to gastrointestinal bleeds too
Hence, it is better for the body to recover naturally. If the soreness is unmanageable, then only opt for medicines and that too with a doctor’s consultation.
Endnote
Now that you have a clear picture of the fitness myths that you should stop following, you will be able to attain your health goals much more easily. Just remember to not believe anything you hear before finding out the right logic behind that information.
Which of the myths mentioned before did you believe to date? Let’s hear it from you in the comment section below!
