5 Things You Might Believe About Working Out (That Aren't True)

It’s that time of year again…when I dig out the workout clothes, dust off those Piyo cds, and try to remember which gym I’ve been paying $10 per month to avoid visiting.

So, what’s been getting in my way? It’s these silly little myths that keep me from being realistic. Below is a list and my opinion of how I’m going to overcome them.

1)     Exercising is the only way to lose weight

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Well, unfortunately for me (and you), this just isn’t true. You can’t outrun a bad diet. But, fortunately, you can eat your way to health…and depending on your goals, you won’t have to exercise at all. I’m no nutritionist, but I can tell you, from experience that you can modify your food intake to accomplish your weight loss goals without setting foot in a gym or turning on the DVD player. And you can do it in a healthy way. If you’re interested in learning how, head to your local library or open up your OverDrive (library) app and check out books on the Whole 30 or Carb Cycling diets. Both of these are lifestyle diets that will help you increase your healthy foods, while decreasing your calorie
count.

2)     There’s no such thing as “spot training”

Thank goodness this isn’t true! You can spot train, but you can’t spot lose. Weight loss is always a distributed process, but you can focus your training on the development of certain muscles or developing specific physical strength. On that note…

3)     Ab exercises give you six pack abs

You can’t exercise your way to a six pack. In the fitness model world, this is one of the myths they love busting! You can exercise your way to flat abs – your genes might help a little, but the exercise will do it; you just can’t exercise your way to a six pack. Fortunately…you can eat your way to a six pack! If you’re working your butt off (or abs off), you can modify your diet to take you those last few ounces. Once you’ve gotten into your six pack BMI range, you’ll need to wheedle out all of the fat, sugar & carbs from your diet…but you can’t stop eating, that’ll take you in the wrong direction.

4)     No Pain, No Gain

If it doesn’t hurt, then it’s not working…it sounds like nonsense, and fortunately it simply isn’t true. There are plenty of highly effective exercise routines and even weight lifting regimes that will not leave you feeling like a broken man or woman.

5)     You need weights and machines to build real strength

The truth is that you can lose weight and build strength without leaving your living room (and without turning said living room into a home gym). Of course, hitting the gym and doing cardio and hiring a personal trainer are useful methods for weight loss and strength training, but they aren’t necessary. I’m a huge fan of body weight training, such as Pilates and Yoga. I mean, I’m a girl…so there’s that, but the truth is that body weight resistance training has been around forever and it’s a proven effective method for weight loss and building strength.

So…myths blown, my plan is simple. I’m going to focus on getting back to what has worked for me in the past. Portion control and a routine of yoga and Pilates. My likely addition to this tried and true regimen will be some bicep workouts. Wish me luck!

*Written by Lindsay S.