A variety of fitness myths are heard in everyday conversations at fitness facilities.
Below are some examples of common fitness myths:
Fitness Myth 1: Doing Crunches or other abdominal exercises will get
rid of belly fat.
Yes, doing abdominal exercises will strengthen the muscles of your midsection, but they
will not make the fat disappear. You cannot choose which areas of the body you would
like to lose fat. Overall weight lose should be your goal.
Fitness Myth 2: An aerobic workout will boost your metabolism for
hours after you stop working out.
Your metabolism may continue to burn at a slightly higher rate after you finish your
aerobic exercise routine, but not significantly. It will total about an extra 20 calories for
the day. This is not enough to give you the excuse to go home and eat a 2-pound
cheeseburger with a side of chili cheese fries.
Fitness Myth 3: Yoga can help with all sorts of back pain.
Yes, yoga can help if the back pain is muscle-related because it can help stretch out the
muscles and strengthen the core, which can help with lower back pain. If you have back
problems from a ruptured disc, for example, then yoga could actually cause you more
pain. Ask your doctor before starting yoga if you have back pain.
Fitness Myth 4: If you’re not sweating, you’re not working hard enough.
Sweating is how your body cools itself. It is not necessarily a good indicator of exertion.
Everyone has a different sweat rate. You could be running the same speed and distance
as someone else and not sweat near as much as they are, but that does not mean
you’re not working as hard.
Submitted by: Taylor Weeter, Student intern from Slippery Rock University majoring in exercise science
Resource: http:// www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/top-9-fitness-myths-busted