Fitness myths are common if you read health or fitness articles and misinformation can ruin any health and wellness coaching you were trying to follow. Here are three common fitness myths to beware of:
Women that lift weights will be bulky. Women’s workout routines that include weightlifting do not add bulk to their bodies. Weightlifting can actually do quite the opposite! Muscle takes up about 1/3 of the bulk that fat does in the body so when we lift weights, we are slimming down and building lean muscle tissue, not bulky weight. Women benefit in many ways from weightlifting including improved bone health and healthy muscle tone. Work out balls that are weighted can be used for weightlifting routines as well as dumbbells or kettlebells. If you haven’t added lifting weights to your routine yet, talk to a fitness trainer to see how lifting weights can benefit you!
Running is bad for your knees. Running is not bad for knees! Running with poor form or wearing the wrong type of running shoes can be bad for your knees. Running, can actually help support joint health. Running strengthens the muscles around your knee joints to better protect and cushion those joints from injury. If your knees feel sore after running, ask a running coach or personal trainer to watch your running form. Sometimes, minor tweaks in form can make a world of difference and eliminate chronic aches and pains.
You can flatten your abs with sit-ups. Unfortunately, we cannot spot reduce areas on our bodies by doing zone specific exercises. Flattening our abs requires a reduction in calorie intake, aerobic exercises to burn calories, and weight training to build lean muscle. Sit-ups will definitely strengthen your core muscles, as well as plank holds, crunches, and Pilates. Try adding a variety of core strengthening exercises to your daily routine to get the most fitness benefits during your workout times. If you are needing to make modification or adjustments to your daily calorie intake in addition to revamping your fitness routine, reach out to a wellness or fitness consultant or personal trainer to help create a realistic individualized program that you can stick with and achieve success in reaching your personal fitness goals.
