ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – A recent study found more than 110,000 deaths could be prevented per year in the US if adults over age 40 spent an additional 10 minutes a day engaged in physical activity.
So, what’s holding Americans back when it comes to getting active? It could be what you don’t know.
Exercise can boost energy, promote weight loss, improve sleep, and lessen your risk for a slew of health conditions.
But there are a lot of myths about physical activity that could prevent you from reaping the full benefits.
The first fallacy: Lifting heavy weights will cause women to bulk up. The truth is women have lower levels of testosterone, so they won’t build massive muscles.
Another myth: You can reduce fat in a specific area. You can’t control what part of your body burns fat. Also – if you’ve been told to stick with one type of activity, you’ve been misinformed. That’s because your body gets used to it.
“Switch it up. If you’re running all the time, take a break and do Pilates and then go back to it,” said Lacole Broadus, a celebrity trainer.
Another myth: Running is bad for your knees. Northwestern Medicine says that regular running strengthens the joints and protects against osteoarthritis. Also, you might have heard that you need to stretch before a workout – but this is untrue. It’s more effective to stretch after a workout when your muscles are warm.
Also, the notion that exercise will offset a bad diet is also false. Diet and nutrition typically play a larger role than exercise when it comes to weight management. And if you’ve been told results from exercise come quickly, think again.
“When you’re involved in the gym, you’re probably looking at about four to six weeks before you should honestly begin to start to see some changes,” said Curtis McGee, a personal trainer.
Another common myth is that you have to sweat to have a good workout. Factors like temperature, humidity, and your hydration levels may affect how much you sweat. Additionally, some people’s bodies are just more efficient at cooling themselves, so they sweat less.