With the amount of fitness information around us, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure about what’s true and what isn’t. We’ve taken five of the most common myths and debunked them!
Myth One:
Lifting weights will give you a bulky physique
This is a common myth, particularly with women. Lifting weights does not make you ‘bulky’; it helps to build muscle tissue, which is different to fat, and with perseverance to training and working on body fat reduction, the shape of this muscle has an opportunity to shine through.
Myth Two:
Workouts should be an hour
If you have time to exercise for an hour, that’s great! If you only have time for a half an hour sesh, then that’s also great! As long as you’re aiming for anything above that half hour mark, you’re on the right track.
Myth Three:
If the number on the scale isn’t going down, I’m not losing weight
When weight loss is your number one goal, it’s easy to focus solely on the number on the scales to measure success. However, it’s important to celebrate the small stuff and look at different ways to track your progress – measurements, photos and clothing. At 12WBT, we believe in Non Scale Victories – so even if the scale number isn’t going down, see how your clothes are fitting and how you’re measuring up.
Myth Four:
Don’t worry about the food you eat, as long as you work out
There was once the belief that losing weight depended majorly on the amount of exercise that one would do. However, over time and with greater research, we’ve learned that the weight loss ratio is actually 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. And as you can see, the most important part of this ratio (and that which has a higher impact on weight loss) is nutrition..so fuel your body well!
Myth Five:
Working out at the gym is better than at home
You don’t have to go to the gym to smash out a workout and see results. Home workouts are just as good, and in some cases, can offer more flexibility and variety. I’ve been doing live workouts on the 12WBT Instagram for more than a year and they are all from my living room! There’s plenty you can do with very little equipment!
So there you have it – five common myths debunked! There are always going to be fitness myths, it’s just about doing your research and using your judgment. Happy exercising!
