FITNESS MYTHS - Part 2
Better performance means knowing fact - from fiction and fad.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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MYTH #6: I don't have the time to exercise regularly.
This is a common lament where people say they would exercise if only they had more time. The reality is that we all have more time available than we realize. Keep a journal with you and keep track of everything that you do on a daily basis. Notice where you waste time. See how you can combine activities to free up more time for yourself. How much time do you spend watching TV or playing on the computer? The reality is that we need to make time for ourselves and "pencil it in" for our day and not just get it in when everything else is done. Remember, too, that execise can be beneficial when done in frequent short bouts rather than one long bout.
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MYTH #7: If you stop exercising, muscle will turn into fat.
Muscle and fat cells are structurally and functionally different. Muscle is muscle and fat is fat. You actually lose fat as you build muscle because your metabolism increases. If you stop working out, your muscles will shrink back to the size they were. The good news is that it takes as long as you worked out for this to happen. The best news: When you start up again, it only takes 1/3 of the time to get back to the point you were when working out.
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MYTH #8: Never drink water while exercising.
Water is critical to good fitness and to performance. You shouldn't even wait until you are thirsty. If you feel you are losing water, you should immediately replace it. And if you intend to exercise the first thing in the morning, you should drink a glass of water before you start.
The body cells depend on circulation in order to get the energy they need, and to get rid of their waste products. When you become dehydrated, the fluids that bathe the cells diminish. The cells cannot function properly until it is restored. When that happens, your muscles cannot keep up the work they are doing and your heart receives an added strain. Part of the fluid you've lost is blood fluid. This means that the heart has to pump that many more times to recirculate the diminished supply of blood.
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MYTH #9: Sugar taken before exercise raises the energy level.
Sugar ingested before a contest or workout can do more harm than good. Even the intake of preparations like honey and lemon juice is counter productive. Sweets can trigger an insulin reaction. The effect is to drive the body's sugar into the storage organs. The only time you need to eat sugar to replace the amount that has been depleted is after an hour-and-a-half of steady exercise, such as a marathon race or other long distance activity. For these, energy bars or gels offer immediate carbohydrate supplies and can help to avoid a "bonk" effect, where you run out of oomph.
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MYTH #10: Don't eat before exercising.
Some people think you have to wait an hour or two after a meal before exercising. Actually, a bit of something before a workout can be a good thing. A banana or other piece of fruit is a good way to ease the stomach grumbling before a workout without causing a side stitch as you exercise. Eating a big meal before a workout is not recommended, of course, but there is no reason to have to wait a specified time before working out.
As kids you may have been told to not swim after eating. The theory against eating before swimming is that it draws the blood into your intestine; when you start exercising, the circulation to the intestine shuts down and the blood goes to the muscles.
The most you might get if you exercise after eating is a stitch in the side. But cramps do not seem to be related to food at all. For example, a young American swimmer ate a hamburger with onions and mustard, and four candy bars, and drank a coke, just before a 1968 Olympic race, and broke her own world record. This isn't to suggest that you should eat, a big meal before swimming in a race. Any violent or high intensity activity after a meal might cause nausea.
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MYTH #11: More is better.
There is a point where the amount of exercise is no longer beneficial but harmful. It results in overtraining. Train regularly, be persistent, and get adequate rest and you will get the results that you are looking for. The body grows during your days off. Training is the stimulus for your muscles to get bigger and stronger. You need the right combination of both for your health and fitness goals.
That said, it is still recommended to exercise every day, or nearly every day. Just don't do the same thing every day. Mix it up. Run alternate days with weight training, or run easy one day and then do wind sprints the next.
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MYTH #12: Going to the gym is best for a good workout.
Research has shown that some people find it easier to stick to a home-based fitness program instead of going to the gym. In spite of all the hype on trendy exercise programs and facilities, the “best” program for you is the one you will participate in consistently. If you workout consistently using a basement set-up, exercise videos, exercise video games the key is to find something you like to do. Heading outside is also a wonderful way to exercise where it sometimes doesn't even seem like exercise but just a chance to be outdoors.
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