Whether you're looking for a six pack or trying to lose a few
extra pounds, it's important to let go of a few common fitness myths
that keep people from really reaching their goals.
First is that you need to stop eating to get a six pack or lose weight. I want to clear this up right here, right now. Starving yourself is not the solution to getting the body of your dreams. The key to burning fat and losing weight is complicated, but it often revolves around monitoring the glycemic index of the foods you eat so that don't have insulin spikes and crashes. It also involves avoiding processed carbohydrates and sugars that are just empty calories and are stored in the body as fat.
The second one is that you need to realize that bouncing on the treadmill for hours every day isn't going to help you lose weight or build strength. The body grows and becomes stronger when you take the time to push yourself past your limits and then relax back into your comfort zone, time and time again. This is called High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT for short. Instead of jogging on a treadmill for an hour every day, which only exerts yourself around 70%, why not practice sprinting for 10 second, then jogging for 30 seconds as your HIIT routine cycling over and over again?
The third one is to hold your breath to help you squeeze out that last rep when you're weight training. As they say at Gold Medal Bodies, your body doesn't take anything seriously when you're holding your breath. That's one reason why yogic traditions have relied so heavily on breathing techniques like Ujjayi breathing. So breath, relax, and do what you can with your breath.
The fourth one is to make sure you get enough sleep. This is one of the most underrated fitness tips since these days most people feel pressured to work non-stop like a wind-up toy. But that's not how humans really function. When we have even the smallest amount of sleep-debt, we're going to have trouble functioning. Believe it or not, you'll function so much better when you get 7 or 8 hours of rest. It will improve just about every area of your health.
The fifth one is that your training for the sake of getting more reps or more weight. No, you're actually training for the sake of being stronger in your everyday life. Remember, the gym is just the place to hone your skill, it isn't the skill in itself. Ultimately, you probably just want to be strong and fit in your time outside the gym so that you can have the body you want and be able to perform the activities you need to on a daily basis.
So, stop believing these fitness myths. Replace these common misconceptions with what's really going on. Remember, never to deprive yourself or torture your body. Treat it with respect and it will serve you well throughout your life.
First is that you need to stop eating to get a six pack or lose weight. I want to clear this up right here, right now. Starving yourself is not the solution to getting the body of your dreams. The key to burning fat and losing weight is complicated, but it often revolves around monitoring the glycemic index of the foods you eat so that don't have insulin spikes and crashes. It also involves avoiding processed carbohydrates and sugars that are just empty calories and are stored in the body as fat.
The second one is that you need to realize that bouncing on the treadmill for hours every day isn't going to help you lose weight or build strength. The body grows and becomes stronger when you take the time to push yourself past your limits and then relax back into your comfort zone, time and time again. This is called High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT for short. Instead of jogging on a treadmill for an hour every day, which only exerts yourself around 70%, why not practice sprinting for 10 second, then jogging for 30 seconds as your HIIT routine cycling over and over again?
The third one is to hold your breath to help you squeeze out that last rep when you're weight training. As they say at Gold Medal Bodies, your body doesn't take anything seriously when you're holding your breath. That's one reason why yogic traditions have relied so heavily on breathing techniques like Ujjayi breathing. So breath, relax, and do what you can with your breath.
The fourth one is to make sure you get enough sleep. This is one of the most underrated fitness tips since these days most people feel pressured to work non-stop like a wind-up toy. But that's not how humans really function. When we have even the smallest amount of sleep-debt, we're going to have trouble functioning. Believe it or not, you'll function so much better when you get 7 or 8 hours of rest. It will improve just about every area of your health.
The fifth one is that your training for the sake of getting more reps or more weight. No, you're actually training for the sake of being stronger in your everyday life. Remember, the gym is just the place to hone your skill, it isn't the skill in itself. Ultimately, you probably just want to be strong and fit in your time outside the gym so that you can have the body you want and be able to perform the activities you need to on a daily basis.
So, stop believing these fitness myths. Replace these common misconceptions with what's really going on. Remember, never to deprive yourself or torture your body. Treat it with respect and it will serve you well throughout your life.
But what if you still can't figure everything out?
