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I think everyone can agree that there is a lot of false information out there on the web and it is essential that we ‘don’t believe everything we read online.’ yet I must reiterate. Social media is plastered with fad diets and fitness myths, making it virtually impossible to navigate your way around living a healthy life. These can hold you back from reaching your fitness goals. Here are some fitness myths that are just that myths, watch out for them.
The scale does not mark your success. A lot of women in society today are obsessed with using a weighing scale to track their weight loss to the extent that it begins influencing their emotions. Women often get so attached to the scales that their happiness depends upon it, where gaining weight assuming their goal is to lose weight can impact negatively impact their emotions. Focusing upon the body image when exercising in itself is wrong as it promotes a temporary goal, one should rather focus on how the exercise makes you feel, cherishing the energized feeling you are left with. However, the weighing scale proves as an ineffective measure at times. For example, you may be getting leaner but it may not show on the scale as you are building muscle at the same time. The best way is to measure weight loss is through the inches lost and how your clothes feel upon you. One’s weight can vary depending on bloating, water weight, etc.
I, like many, fell prey to the myth circulating that women who lift end up bulking like
men and thus for years I steered clear of the free weights section. However, over time I realized that this was not the case. The truth is, women are biologically different from men, thus without supplements and steroids bulking to the extent of males is impossible. With the correct diet, lifting can actually help you become leaner and lose weight. So, ditch the cardio if it doesn’t bring you joy because strength training can help you reach your goals too, as it stimulates your metabolism to keep going even after a workout.
A fellow female lifter who stands to be an inspiration within the eastern world is the tiktoker @Kameliaas, with personal records that range over 110 kgs she truly reflects that women can be both strong and beautiful.
This brings me to my next point, cardio is not the only way to lose weight, you can lose weight simply by adjusting your diet. Don’t get me wrong, cardio definitely helps but if it isn’t your thing, don’t put your body through it, find something you enjoy instead.
I believe a big misconception people have in mind is that doing a certain regimen of workouts that a famous influencer does will aid you in gaining a body similar to theirs, but what you forget to factor in is that: they have a completely different biological make up to you; genetics play a huge role in how your body looks. There is no doubt that the regimen will have a positive impact in toning your body but that does not mean that certain workouts that certain influencers promote or do will help your body look like theirs. That being said, abs are genetic too, and their visibility is determined by genetics which is why abs look different upon different people.
There is always that one problem area, that instigates insecurities within you. People always hope to lose fat in this area. For some it’s their belly, for others it’s their thighs or even their waist. Regardless, most people always hope to lose fat in these specific areas, but the truth is fat loss occurs throughout the body, fat cannot be lost in a specific region! Biological factors such as genetics and hormones determine where fat is lost first
Although, you can spot train certain muscle groups, but this only builds the strength of the muscle groups. So, the next time, you see influencers post ‘washboard abs in 2 weeks.’ or ‘how to get that small waist.’ keep this in mind.
Another myth is that you only need to change your routine when you stop seeing gains. Even if you are increasing your weights, doing the same exercises may lead to your body adapting to the exercise which in turn limits the extent of your progress. Moreover, you can get bored by the repetitious nature of the exercise.
A huge misconception is that you need to exercise for hours in order to see results, or that a certain exercise is more effective. Find what works for you because the most effective exercise is something you enjoy doing as you are more likely to be consistent with it. So, stop worrying about the next trending exercise, and rather focus on what works for you. That being said, for those who don’t like running, here is some good news: running is not more effective than walking and vice versa, they both work the same muscle groups but just differ in intensity.
The truth is, working out is not supposed to be a pain but rather fun activity, just be active in your own way for the betterment of your wellbeing. It isn’t as complicated as people make it out to be! Keep doing what you’re doing, you got this.
