We all, at some time or another, have fallen victim to fitness faux pas. But to achieve total fitness, one must weed through a host of inaccuracies and debunk all the proverbial old wives’ tales to get at the heart of true health.
“Late night eating is bad.” That’s a relative statement. The issue lies in two key factors-what you eat and what you do after. Going to bed after a meal causes the body to store the extra energy as fat; it has no other use for it. Sleep burns calories, but in minute percentages. Eating late has less a negative effect if you stay ACTIVE not just AWAKE. Also, it’s at night that the worse choices are made.
“If you have an urge for sweets, just eating one bite will suffice.” Really? People, If you want the cookie ... EAT THE DANG COOKIE!” In most cases, you’ll do far less damage when you treat yourself in moderation. Beating yourself into deprivation is a sure shot way to completely throw you off course.
If you’re not careful, as you fight the urge to splurge, you may wind up eating EVERYTHING ELSE in the house in order to avoid putting your hand in the cookie jar. Studies have shown that some individuals end up consuming up to 300 extra calories and six to ten extra grams of fat. So please, take ONE cookie, sit back and ENJOY it, then get your head back in the game.
“When you have a cold, you can “sweat it out” at the gym.” With the stronger strands of flu out here, outside of running the risk of spreading your virus, it pays more to skip a day than to try and “sweat it out” (which by the way, has no foundation ... you cannot literally sweat out germs). Listen to your body; it’s obviously telling you something’s wrong. And working out through flu symptoms may actually prolong your illness.
Though it’s true that low levels of exercise increases endorphins and benefit the body, if you accidently over-do it, a high intensity workout creates a super surplus of endorphins that can weaken the immune system. So take a break and ease back into your routine when you’re back to feeling like yourself.
“She’s shaped like a supermodel. She must be so fit!” Negative. Being thin and being fit is NOT the same thing!” Don’t kid yourself thinking that the girl who just sashayed passed you wearing a size zero is automatically the picture of health. According to Mayo Clinic research report, as many as thirty million Americans, even those considered to be of average weight, may have “normal weight obesity.” That means there is still a very prominent risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease.
A Smaller size does not necessarily denote lower body fat. If your body fat percentage is thirty percent or more, it doesn’t matter one bit what the scale says. So, in your weight loss efforts, don’t just drop pounds; look at the overall picture. You want to be healthy ... not just skinny.
“If I eat healthy, I can eat as much as I want.” Forget what your mama told you ... you do NOT have to clean your plate. Some still have the tendency to consume much more than they should in one sitting. Even those with healthy eating habits quite often make the mistake in assuming its ok to pile up plates and finish every bite because they’re “eating well.” Learn to when to push the plate away and save what’s left for a later meal if you can. There’s a fine line between satisfaction and overindulgence. Keep from crossing it by acknowledging when enough is enough.
“If my stomach is growling, then I must need to eat.” Not necessarily. An article posted late last year on real age took a brief look at hunger levels when your stomach is growling. That reaction on MOST COUNTS is a cue to eat. However, sometimes the mechanism and your brain’s receptors to this sensation are so weak that at times thirst is mistaken for hunger, causing you to eat rather than hydrate.
