3472: 7 Health And Fitness Myths That Won't Die by Lea Genders of Lea Genders Fitness on Fitness Myths

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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Health Daily. 7 Health And Fitness Myths That Won't Die by Lea Genders of LeaGendersFitness.com And I'm Dr. Neal, your host and narrator. Happy Monday. Thank you so much for being here and welcome back to a new week of Optimal Health Daily. This is where I read to you from some of the best health and fitness blogs on the web. Kind of like an ongoing audiobook and always with a bit of my commentary at the end.

[00:00:55] I'm going to keep this intro nice and short, so let's get right to today's post as we optimize your life. 7 Health And Fitness Myths That Won't Die by Lea Genders of LeaGendersFitness.com As a fitness professional, I see the same common fitness myths perpetuated year after year. Long after I think these myths have been officially debunked, they rise up again. They just won't die.

[00:01:25] Let me take a stab, pun intended, at ending them once and for all. Myth number one. Carbs make you fat, or any other one thing. Truth. Carbohydrates themselves do not cause weight gain. When you overconsume any food, it can lead to weight gain. Carbs don't make you fat. Dietary fats don't make you fat. When you consume more calories than your body needs, it gets stored as fat.

[00:01:53] Everyone is a little different, but in general, most people can be successful by consuming a wide variety of whole foods from nature, enjoying treats in moderation, and keeping an eye on calorie intake versus activity output to avoid fat gain. Myth number two. Lifting weights will make women bulk up like a man. Truth. Truth.

[00:02:16] Those, quote-unquote, bulky ladies that you see on the fitness stage and in magazines worked very hard to look exactly that way. It didn't happen by accident. They trained specifically for that look over a long period of time. They may have taken steroids. It takes dedicated effort to put on muscle. If you start lifting weights, your results will not look like theirs unless you train specifically for that goal and you do it for years.

[00:02:44] Pick up the dumbbells or the barbell. You'll develop lean muscle, which will help shape your body. Muscle tissue requires more energy at rest, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even when you're not exercising. Muscle takes up less space than fat in the body, so when you lose fat and gain muscle, you'll look smaller, not bulkier. Ladies with lean muscle look slimmer, fitter, and can beat their friends in arm wrestling competitions.

[00:03:13] Just kidding about that last one. Myth number three. Running is bad for your knees. Truth. My favorite myth I love to hate. Too much of anything is usually bad. That's why it's called too much. Too much running without adequate strength in the hips can lead to knee pain.

[00:03:32] If you listen to your body, do some runner-specific strength training, get adequate rest and recovery, be patient with mileage and intensity, and listen to your favorite coach, that's me in case you're wondering, then running is not bad for your knees. Bad training is bad for your knees. You can't blame bad training on running as a whole. Myth number four. You can spot reduce fat. Truth.

[00:03:59] I know we would all love to believe that we can do a thousand crunches a day to achieve a flat stomach or buy the Thighmaster for lean legs, but it's simply not true. You cannot spot reduce fat. You can, however, work to reduce your overall body fat percentage through your nutrition and exercise program. Be sure to include weight training to develop lean muscle for best whole body results. Myth number five. You must go hard or go home.

[00:04:28] Truth. People tend to think if they're not killing themselves in the gym, then they won't get results, when sometimes the opposite is true. Yes, we should plan high-intensity workouts into our training cycles, but they should be followed by lower-intensity workouts to allow our bodies to properly recover. Overtraining can increase our chances of injury, cause burnout, fatigue, and irritability. Spend time on flexibility and mobility work. Take a walk or go on a hike.

[00:04:58] Be active outside of the gym. High-intensity workouts, properly programmed, are great. Just keep in mind, there is much more to a well-rounded fitness routine. You should finish your workouts most of the time feeling energized, not beaten down. It's the all-or-nothing thinking that gets us in trouble. Myth number six. You need supplements to get results. Truth. Truth. You can get in great shape and never take a single supplement.

[00:05:26] One of the key principles of fitness success is to start with the basics. Before thinking about supplements, get your basic nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits in check. If you're sleeping five hours a night, working out inconsistently, and binge eating or drinking on the weekends, there are more important things to tackle first. Supplements may, or may not honestly, give you an edge after you're already doing everything else right.

[00:05:54] They won't help you if you're not already consistent with your healthy habits. Save your money. A protein powder supplement can be helpful when whole food protein is not available or convenient, but it's not a necessity. And myth number seven. If it's organic, it's healthy. Truth. If you choose to buy organic fruits and vegetables, then there is no question that's a healthy choice.

[00:06:18] However, just because a packaged food boasts the word organic doesn't necessarily mean that it's a healthy option. Case in point. Organic Doritos. Organic processed foods are still junk foods. The ingredients are often improved to remove artificial colors and flavors, but they still may be extremely high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. And they cost more. I am pretty skeptical of any packaged food labeled as organic.

[00:06:47] Portion control and moderation are key when consuming organic chips, cookies, and pizza, just like when you consume the non-organic versions. Don't assume because it's labeled as organic that it's a health food. If it comes in a package, it's probably not. Did I miss anything? You just listened to the post titled, 7 Health and Fitness Myths That Won't Die by Lea Genders of LeaGendersFitness.com.

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[00:09:37] Registered Dietitian Nancy Clark is a representative of the American College of Sports Medicine. And she was asked about whether supplements are a good idea for not just most folks, but athletes. Now I'm going to quote her response directly since it was so perfect. Quote, Fundamental to every high performance athlete is an effective sports diet. All athletes should be taught from an early age how to optimize their performance using the food first approach.

[00:10:06] So they know how to best fuel up, fuel during, and refuel after challenging exercise sessions. End quote. And cue the mic drop. All right, that'll do it for the Monday episode. I hope you have a great start to your week, and I'll be back here tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.