The 20 Myths of Nutrition and Fitness That Slow Your Progress

Some misconceptions sound so reasonable that they are easy to believe. On the way to an ideal body, you will hear many things that sound convincing, but in reality they will slow down your progress. Popular fitness blogger shared with us tips, that will help build the perfect body faster. He knows almost everything about training, proper nutrition and self-development. At the beginning of her sporting path, she for a long time believed in many myths herself, and now she has shared 20 of them. Note!

Myth 1. You Can’t Eat After 6 P.M.

It is believed that refusing food in the evening contributes to weight loss. However, in some cases, it will not only not help, but also harm. It creates a long period of time when the body is starving. And, most likely, an unprepared person will bravely starve for a couple of hours, and by midnight he will give up and order a pizza.

How to diet correctly? You can eat after 6 p.m., but dinner should be light. It is better to consist of protein foods, salads, and greens.

Myth 2. You Can’t Drink While Eating

Discussions are still ongoing around this myth. Supporters of refusing water while eating believe that the liquid dilutes the gastric juice and prevents food from being digested.

What is the truth? Drink while eating is fine. Only, it should be water, not juice or soda. There is one more nuance: fatty foods, which is better to completely exclude from the diet, should not be washed down with cold water.

Myth 3. You Can’t Eat After Training

Unfortunately, even some trainers in fitness centers are spreading this myth. And yet it is a mistake to think that food will spoil all the results of workout, and hunger will promote fat burning.

What is the truth? After intensive training, you should have either a meal, or at least a snack.

Myth 4. Fats Are Always Bad

This myth contributes to the popularity of low-fat or non-fat foods. Especially among girls who are just starting to lose weight and don’t have a clue how to do it correctly.

What is the truth? Do not avoid fats in your diet. Healthy fats are important, especially for women. The main products rich in healthy fats are fish, avocado, olive oil, nuts.

Myth 5. Proteins Are Always Good

We admit that we decided to tell you about this myth ourselves, inspired by the previous one. Proteins is the main building material for muscles and tissues. However, trying to include as many protein foods and BCAAs as possible in the diet, reducing the amount of fat and carbs, is a bad idea.

What is the truth? Excessive protein intake leads to intoxication of the body, impaired carbohydrate metabolism, increased fatigue, kidney problems and other unpleasant consequences. To avoid this, you need to combine all the necessary elements in the diet. They should be consumed with high-quality foods, not junk food.

Myth 6. Without Sport Supplements There Will Be No Result

If you go to the gym, you probably at least once worried that without protein your results would not be impressive and you won’t be able to lose weight or gain muscle mass.

What is the truth? Of course, sports nutrition is a good complement to the regular diet. But you should remember, that sports nutrition only complements your diet. You can do without protein if the diet is thought out and contains everything your organism needs, and if the training is regular.

Myth 7. You Shouldn’t Drink During Workout

Most trainers note that they most often hear this myth from women, who got this “advice” from a personal trainer. We can only recommend to run away from this trainer.

What is the truth? Dehydration during exercise is extremely dangerous because we sweat and the body loses fluid. Every 10-15 minutes of training you need to drink plain water or, if necessary, slightly diluted with BCAA.

Myth 8. The Gym is Only for Men

It may sound chaotic, but a many women believe that gyms are only for men. In their opinion, iron exercise machines, dumbbells and barbells will certainly make the body look masculine.

What is the truth? It is better to get rid of a biased attitude towards any type of training and not to divide the sport into male and female. If you like to run, do aerobics – keep up with it. And if you like weight training, forget stereotypes. The muscles will not grow huge if you yourself do not want it.

Myth 9. You Should Be Guided by The Number on the Scales

During weight loss or muscle gain, many are guided by the number on the weight scales. And when the numbers start to change or, moreover, periodically increase, they get upset.

What is the truth? Weight indications can be misleading. Taking as an example two women with the same weight, you will be surprised how different their physique can be. After all, a kilogram of fat takes four times more space than muscle tissue. Therefore, it is much more reliable to focus on reflection in the mirror and parameters in centimeters.

Myth 10. You Need To Train Every Day

The idea that in order to achieve a quick result you need to train daily is very intrusive. In fact, without rest, we simply cannot withstand such a colossal load, neither mentally nor physically.

What is the truth? After training, you should allow yourself to forget about sports for 1-2 days, so the muscles have time to recover, and you simply could gain energy and mental strength.

Myth 11. Fat is Burned Locally

If you are not satisfied with your body, for sure there is a part of your body you hate the most. Often you can hear such phrases: «I want to remove fat from the stomach», or «get rid of the sides», or «make my arms less flabby». But local fat burning is impossible.

How to burn fat correctly? Do not focus on a problem area. Full body workout is much more effective. Include strength training for all muscle groups, and cardio training in your workout routine, and make a good nutrition plan.

Myth 12. The Longer The Workout, The Better

It would seem that the longer the training, the more exercises, repetitions and sets you can fit into it. And this, perhaps, is the guarantee of progress! But things are different.

What is the truth? This approach will only lead to overtraining. The training should be properly planned, and its optimal duration is 40-60 minutes, depending on complexity.

Myth 13. If You Work Abs Every Day, You Will Get a Six-Pack Faster

In pursuit of muscle definition, many start work out every day. Everyday training doesn’t allow the muscles to recover, and without proper nutrition, the fat layer will not disappear.

How to get a six-pack? No wonder they say that the abs are built in the kitchen. Of course, you shouldn’t give up abs exercises, but you also need to understand that a six-pack will appear only when the fat layer in the whole body decreases. This is only possible with a proper diet and a calorie deficit.

Myth 14. Long Cardio is Helpful

This is a rather controversial myth. We found many scientific research on the dangers of prolonged cardio for the body, in particular for joints. However, the experience of professional runners can prove the opposite.

What is the truth? If you are not planning to become a marathon runner, it is better to be guided by the safe principle: everything should be in moderation. Cardio load should be included in the training routine, but you shouldn’t drive yourself to pain and a too high heart rate. Up to 15-20 minutes of running at an average pace is the best option.

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Myth 15. Sweat is Fat

No, this is not a joke. There is an absurd opinion that when we sweat, the fat leaves the body with moisture.

What is the truth? During perspiration, the body loses only fluid. Right after training, the number on the scales can indeed decrease by a couple of hundred grams, but this can be explained by the loss of water, not fat.

Myth 16. There is No Result without Sweat

Another sweat myth. As if without excessive sweating during the training, there will be no progress in weight loss.

What is the truth? Sweating is an individual process for each person; some lose a huge amount of fluid during physical exertion, while others only have a drop of sweat on their forehead. This does not mean that the second group of people will not be able to lose weight.

Myth 17. For a Thin Waist, You Need to Build Oblique Muscles

The trainer we interviewed herself believed in this statement. Therefore, in the evenings, she worked out the oblique muscles with dumbbells, did weighted crunches. And all this exclusively in pursuit of a thin waist.

What is the truth? The waist will not become smaller because of oblique exercises. The muscles themselves, on the contrary, will thicken and become stronger, especially if you use extra weight.

Myth 18. Fitness is More Effective Than Home Workout

Just what fitness fans were worried about during long-term self-isolation. Since many do not have equipment, which is abundant in the gym, it seems that home training is less effective.

What is the truth? When training at home, you can achieve amazing results. But there is a nuance: to build muscle mass in most cases, you still need weights. So you have to buy either a couple of dumbbells or a gym membership.

Myth 19. No Pain — No Result

Perhaps, a popular phrase «no pain, no gain» sounds too convincing. However, training without pain cannot be called ineffective.

What is the truth? If you performed the exercises with correct technique, this will certainly bring results, even if after the exercise the body does not hurt. However, the body gets used to the load over time, so for progression it is necessary to diversify the exercises, increase weight, the number of sets and reps.

Myth 20. There is a Workout and Diet Plan That Suits Everyone

Training programs and star diets published on the Internet are available to everyone. But not everyone can benefit from them. At best, you will not see any result, but at worst it will harm your health.

What is the truth? The load and nutrition plan should be selected taking into account individual characteristics: goals, physique, lifestyle, problem areas and health status. Especially if you have injuries or intolerances to certain products.

In the meantime, when you are trying to understand all existing opinions and get rid of misconceptions, remember one simple rule: listen to your body and follow your feelings.

4 COMMENTS

    • When you don’t eat healthy, your body keeps stores of energy, thus making you feel drained and sleepy. Besides, unhealthy diet slowers your metabolism which leads to fewer calories burned during exercise.

    • I guess, the reason for it is that there are plenty of studies, some of them were conductied in the 20th century, so they are outdated or they were proved wrong, but people still remember them and believe in them bc they heard them sooo many times and they are just lazy to check the info. You should always read the latest research as everything changes very fast and the fitness industry is growing and developing at a crazy pace.

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