Seven Myths about Fitness
Don’t let these beliefs and excuses get in the way of getting fit
Muscle turns to fat when you stop exercising FALSE Muscle and fat are different types of tissue and one cannot turn into the other. But muscle consumes more kilojoules even when you’re not exercising; so if you allowed your muscle mass to drop but ate the same amount you’d store the excess kilojoules as fat.
Weight training builds unsightly bulk on women FALSE Women don’t have enough testosterone to develop Popeye-sized bulges. Only serious body-builders can get serious bulk.
To loose weight I must eat less FALSE If you eat more than you burn off you’ll get fat, but boosting your activity level is actually a better way to balance the equation than eating less. On a very low kilojoule diet your body goes into survival mode, slowing your metabolism and resorting to burning lean muscle.
You can sweat weight off in the sauna NOT FAT, YOU CANT Any weight you loose is just water through sweating and this must be replaced quickly.
Im to busy to exercise FALSE If you can’t make time for the gym, try using the stairs instead of the lift. At home, gardening or playing football with the children will burn more kilojoules than a brisk walk for the same duration. If its leaving you warmer and breathing more heavily, its working.
Lots of sit-ups will give me a “six pack” NOT NECESSARILY “You wont get muscle definition unless you reduce overall body fat,” says Nick Morgan of the Lilleshall Human Performance Centre.
Men can’t get cellulite TRUE, because there’s no such thing. “Cellulite is just ordinary body fat plus gravity,” says Catherine Geissler, professor of human nutrition at King’s College London. It’s just more obvious in women because they carry extra fat in areas where the skin sags.”