Whether you're trying to bulk up and get fit or trying to drop those extra pounds around your waistline, you may find yourself believing and following several common weight loss and fitness myths. Some of these myths may not only reduce your fitness and weight loss results, but also may actually be harmful to your health.
Fad Diets Work
TV commercials and newspaper ads often promise dramatic, extreme weight loss in weeks or even days. Don't fall for such claims. While you may lose weight on fad diets, you may also gain the weight back quickly because the diet relies on short term weight loss -- such as water weight -- or difficult-to-follow rules that can't be implemented on a practical, long-term basis. Plus, extreme weight loss can be very unhealthy. Ideally, you should lose no more than a couple pounds every seven days.
Skipping Breakfast is Good
In the rush of the morning, skipping breakfast may not only save you time, but you may also think that you're cutting calories and thus accelerating your weight loss. However, breakfast is one of the most important meals to eat. It gives you energy during the day, and also jumpstarts your metabolism, which has essentially ground to a halt after the eight-hour fast known as sleeping.
No Pain, No Gain
While it's a popular mantra, pain is never a good thing when you're trying to gain results in your fitness regimen. While it's true that pushing yourself when you're lifting weights and exercising can be uncomfortable, you should shy away from actual pain. That's your body's way of telling you you're doing something unnatural that may lead to injury.
Train Until Failure
If you're in the gym pumping iron, you may hear someone talk about training until failure. The idea is that you work your muscles to exhaustion in order to experience the fastest and greatest gains. Personal trainer Vince DelMonte, talking to "Men's Fitness" magazine, uses construction workers as an example, saying that they often have "phenomenal muscularity" and yet "you don't see them carrying bricks around until they drop."
Work Out Daily
Hitting the gym every day to lift weights and work those muscles may seem like a good idea, but that myth gets countered by another popular mantra: There is sometimes such a thing as too much of a good thing. Your muscles need approximately 48 hours to rest between workouts in order to regrow and rebuild at optimal levels.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Weight-Loss and Nutrition Myths; March 2004
- "Men's Fitness"; Weight-Loss Myths; Chris Mohr
- Penn State University: Fitness Myths
- "Men's Fitness"; Training Myths Debunked; Sean Hyson
- Go Ask Alice!; Weight Training; Health Services at Columbia; December 2010
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