Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths about exercise that can cause people to work out ineffectively at best, and unsafely at worst. But not to fear – we’re here to bust some common exercise myths to help you work out smarter during your gym sessions!
Lifting weights makes women bulk up.
Many women may stay away from the free weights in a gym because they’re afraid that their muscles will get too bulky. However, this just isn’t true! Strength training is an excellent exercise option for women, and because women have large amounts of estrogen (as opposed to testosterone), it’s difficult for them to amass a lot of muscle bulk, even when they’re lifting weights.
Your weight is the only indicator of success.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth! There are plenty of reasons why the number on the scale shouldn’t be the only metric you’re paying attention to when you start a new exercise regime. For example, risk factors such as high blood sugar levels decrease after a few months of increased exercise – and those are numbers you’re not going to see on a scale.
If you exercise intensely, you won’t burn as much fat.
According to an article from CNN, the more you exercise, you burn a higher proportion of carbohydrates – but you’re still burning fat, too, contrary to popular belief. Low intensity workouts are a great option if you’re looking for a low-impact exercise, but you shouldn’t opt for low-intensity because you think you’ll burn more fat.
You should focus on improving individual body parts.
According to the CNN article, there’s not much point in doing a zillion crunches in an attempt to reshape your abs, or doing any exercise to target a specific body part for that matter. You should instead focus on all-over body workouts to decrease the layer of fat that rests on top of your muscles.
No pain, no gain.
Many people think that the only way to get an effective workout is by pushing yourself until it hurts, and this is possibly the most dangerous exercise myth. Feeling a level of discomfort is acceptable, but your workouts should never be painful – if they are, you’re putting yourself at an increased risk for injury or burnout.
Now that you’re equipped with exercise myth-busting knowledge, it’s time to take it to the gym and put it to use! For our residents at The Villages at Two Rivers, this means a state-of-the-art fitness and exercise center – not to mention our indoor and outdoor pools, four hard-court tennis courts and miles of walking, biking and hiking trails!
SOURCE: CNNHarb
