Common Misconceptions and Myths

Today I am going to discuss some myths and misconceptions that people will have about exercise and fitness.

1. Girls getting huge from lifting weights
This is a typical argument women have towards weight lifting, “I don’t want to get big muscles and look like a man.” Now while this is possible for women to gain large muscles through strength gaining it is utterly impossible if the woman doesn’t eat enough calories to grow these muscles. A typical body builder, aka men and women who have giant muscles for competition’s, have to eat somewhere around 3000-4000 calories a day. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but trust me it is. I am a 6 foot tall 190 pound male who lives an active life style and I can barely get past 2500 on my daily intake of calories. So ladies if you are worried about “bulking up” and gaining weight because of lifting, you can’t as long as you keep a 2000 calorie diet going.

2. Exercise will Erase my Bad Eating Habits
This is an agonizing discussion to have with someone just starting out. People think that they can continue to eat “crappy” and just work out to counter act the ill effects of the so called “food” they shoved down their throats. To live a healthy life style you need to eat as healthy and clean as possible. I personally try to eat mainly fruit and vegetables to keep myself energized. Ideally with the exercise plan provides in previous blog and eating a consistent 2000 calorie diet of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy and carbs your body will naturally fall to its normal body type.

3. I can reduce fat in a single area in my body “Usually the mid-section”
I am sorry to say this but, no. That does not work at all. Fat is throughout your entire body and you can just burn sections, it’s all or nothing. A person can’t get those six-pack abs they have been dreaming by doing 1000 crunches if they have 20% body fat.

4. Ill burn more fat on an empty stomach, so I won’t eat anything before the gym.
Well it is technically true that working out on an empty stomach will burn more calories because your body has to go into fat reserves, it will also break down muscle to fuel you. So it ends up being counter intuitive. My advice is to eat a whole meal an hour before the gym, that way you have food broken down and in your system but food still filling you.

5. Only Eat Egg White and not the Yolks
This is just sad that Egg yolks continue to have such a bad reputation. The yolk of the egg has half the protein and most of the vitamins and minerals needed for repair of muscle groups. It is true that eating white yolks for breakfast will help reduce weight but it is usually caused by a drop in sugar levels in your body, so your body begins breaking down its stores too balance this drop.