6 exercise myths holding you back

These fitness lies could be the reason why you’re still not working out

Photo by Sven Mieke/Unsplash

If you’re new to exercising, you’re vulnerable to bad advice and misconceptions. Some exercise myths can sound discouraging, and this could be the reason why you’re still not up to committing to an active lifestyle. Make sure you don’t fall victim to these. 

Myth 1: Exercises should last for at least an hour

Truth: You may think that your exercise needs to last an hour to yield results but it doesn’t have to. It all depends on the intensity and the kind of workout you do. For HIIT, it can be as short as 15 minutes with the same, if not better, results. If you’re worried that exercise takes too much time, you can find a workout that is structured to have maximum effort with less amount of time.

Myth 2: Morning is the only time to exercise

Truth: There’s no fixed time when it comes to exercising. While a lot of people do it in the morning, it’s still perfectly fine if you do it later in the day. If you can’t find it in yourself to wake up earlier to exercise, then there’s no harm doing it in the late afternoon or at night. What matters is that you find time in your schedule to have a consistent exercise that works for you.

Myth 3: Doing cardio only for weight loss

Truth: While doing cardio does help burn calories, doing just cardio isn’t the most effective way to lose weight. It takes a lot of daily cardio to get a significant amount of weight loss, so a better way is to mix it with strength training, which improves metabolism and promotes long-term weight loss. In order to maximize your exercise, you have to cross-train and mix cardio with other workouts.

Spot training is trying to lose fat in certain parts of your body, but it doesn’t work that way. The reality is that your fat is distributed throughout your body even in places you don’t see, so weight loss means losing fat everywhere. The area where you’ll lose weight first is different for every person

Myth 4: Training at least once a week is better than nothing

Truth: If you’re already active to begin with, you can afford to miss a few days once in awhile, but if you’re just starting your lifestyle change, you shouldn’t be thinking of this. Losing and maintaining weight needs consistency and hard work. This kind of mindset will only give you more reason to slack off. Aim for at least twice-a-week exercise.

Myth 5: You should work out every day

Truth: In the same sense, you don’t necessarily have to exercise every day either. Going all out all the time isn’t actually an encouraged practice. At least two or three times a week of exercise can be enough. If you’re doing something like HIIT, you have to allot recovery days so you don’t overwork your body. During the days when you’re not working out, you can do light activities like walking.

Myth 6: You can target fat loss in certain parts

Truth: Spot training is trying to lose fat in certain parts of your body, but it doesn’t work that way. The reality is that your fat is distributed throughout your body even in places you don’t see, so weight loss means losing fat everywhere. The area where you’ll lose weight first is different for every person. Doing a variety of exercises with different intensities can help you achieve overall weight loss.

These myths are probably going to continue to circulate but at least, you know better than that. Don’t let these misconceptions hold you back from achieving a fitness lifestyle.