Myths around Fitness and Weight Loss : Clarified

With this “New Normal” imposed in our lives, we are locked up inside the house and most of us are forced to live in this sedentary lifestyle. It is extremely important to start thinking about your health if you have not yet started. When talking about fitness there are lot of misconceptions and wrong ideas about it. I have shared few mistakes which we generally make when we begin our fitness regime. Even if you have not taken any steps related to your fitness, you can go through this post and get a gist of how workouts and diets work and avoid making the general mistakes.

Five Misconceptions about fitness and weight loss

1. Doing workouts alone will not shred your weight

Many people start a strict workout schedule with enthusiasm, confidence and hope. However, when they see no results for many days, they lose hope and give up. The general mistake everyone does here is they blindly follow a workout plan without any change in their calorie intake. Some might think “I am burning a lot of calories with these workouts than my usual days, but why I am not losing weight?”

Yes, you are burning a lot of calories. But the science here is that when you start doing workouts for weight loss you will only burn the calories that you take in excess. For example: if your body requires 1500 calories, your daily intake is 2000 calories, your workouts burn 500 calories then you will not see results. Because your workout is only going to burn the extra calorie you are taking every day. In this way, you might not get fatter, but you will also not burn the excess fat accumulated in your body. If you want to lose weight, then you need to reduce your calorie intake along with your workout. Choose the right diet that fits you and you will start feeling the difference in your body. If it is difficult to follow a diet plan just reduce the quantity of carbohydrates, and increase nuts, fruits and vegetables in your regular diet.

2. You cannot reduce the fat in a specific part of the body

There are a lot of YouTube videos with fancy titles like “Belly fat burning routine”, “Get lean arms in one week”. These workouts may even initially work on you. But you need to understand that “There is no scientific research that proves you can reduce fat on a specific part of your body”.

If you want to effectively lose weight, then you will have to reduce the fat percentage in your entire body. A workout plan that includes workouts targeting specific parts of the body will work. For example, your workout plans may include abs workout, lower body workouts, upper body workouts etc. But doing exercises for a single part of your body will not work. It may give you some results, but it won’t be lasting. To get permanent results you have to do whole-body strength training and cardio.

Looking for ways to keep you fit ? Check out our post about Cycling !

3. There is no healthy shortcut to reduce weight

There is in fact a lot of shortcuts to reduce weight. You might have come across the “k-pop diet”. Some of these diets includes 400 calories for one entire day. Such strict diets might not suit everyone’s body. Do not follow these diets unless you are instructed by your dietician or doctor.

Even if you take such shortcuts you will see great results. But this is not the right way to lose weight. You need to make sure your body gets the right nutrients and minerals. “Losing weight in 10 days” or “Fat reduction in 2 weeks” might initially work for you. But they are no permanent solution. Once you stop doing those workouts, you will eventually gain weight. The same workout might not work on you again unless you increased the difficulty level of the workout.

You need to understand that you cannot lose weight in a short period of time. Imagine the timeframe on how you gained weight. It did not happen overnight, or it did not happen in one week. I would say that, for me, it took a minimum of 6 months for my friends to notice and tell me that I gained weight. So, shredding the fat that you have gathered for all these days will also take time. Be patient and follow a diet and workout.

4. If I need to lose weight, then workouts are the only way

A big “NO” to this statement. Workouts and exercises contribute only to 30% to 20% of your weight gain/loss. The most important factor here is the food you take. Again, this is not about starving to lose weight. There are two things to be considered here.

First, you need to have a healthy and balanced diet. Make sure every meal in a day consists of proteins, fiber, carbohydrates and vitamins in the right percentage. If you follow a balanced diet consistently, you can see good results.

Second, understand the calorie requirement of your body. The calorie requirement differs for everyone. If you are taking so much calorie than you require then you will gain weight. Understand the requirements of your body and plan your diet.

But this doesn’t mean you need to stop doing workouts. Workouts will help your body to burn extra calories and it is extremely important to stay active. People who find it difficult to do workouts due to health concerns can concentrate on their food intake. If you are already doing workouts a big thumbs up to you. Continue your workout, but also make sure you have a healthy diet.

5. The workout/diet plan that worked for everyone might not work on you

First thing you need to understand here is “Everybody is unique”. Some workout might work on a few people, some might not. Some people will not put a lot of weight on eating a little extra calorie, some might gain a lot. You cannot compare yourselves with others. Every “body” reacts differently. You need to understand the requirement of your body. Ask yourself,

How many calories do I need?

Will these calories be enough for my body?

You need to find a way that fits your body and your lifestyle. There is no best workout plan or the best diet plan that fits everyone. You need to figure out which suits your body and your lifestyle better.

Article By – Monisha S

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