This is part 2/2, if you would like to catch up, click here.
With more and more information easily available online, it gets harder and harder to discern fact from fiction when it comes to health, fitness and nutrition topics. These are just a few more common myths that are still floating around. Here’s hoping this will help set the record straight.
Myth #1: Not sweating means you’re not working out hard enough.
Fact: Sweating is not an indication of physical exertion. It is simply the body’s way of cooling itself and every body is different. The environment in which you are working out and your hydration levels can also affect how much you sweat.
Myth #2: Eating fat will make you fat.
Fact: An excess of calories consumed will lead to weight gain, no matter what form those excess calories take. Eating fat, in particular, does not necessarily lead to weight gain. However, there are some fats that are definitely healthier for you than others. The healthiest are unsaturated fats (liquid at room temperature), then saturated fats (solid at room temperature) and then there’s trans fats which are to be avoided as much as possible.
If you’d like to learn more about fats and other macronutrients, click here.
Myth #3: You can sweat out toxins.
Fact: Our kidneys and liver are the body’s toxic waste removal system, not our sweat glands. Sweating is simply the way the body cools itself and regulates its temperature. Our sweat is made up mostly of water, bits of salt, protein, urea and ammonia.
Myth #4: Detox teas, fat burning pills, tens machines and/or body wraps will help you lose weight.
Fact: You may notice some initial weight loss with these methods. The problem is these methods are not sustainable long-term. As soon as you go back to eating the way you were before, the weight will come back and will often increase. If you’re really serious about losing weight, you’ll need to make adjustments to your eating, exercise, sleep and stress management habits.
Myth #5: Juicing is the best way to get your fruits/veggies.
Fact: Juicing is not actually better for you than eating whole fruits and veggies. While most of the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients can be found in the juice, you lose the healthy dietary fibre that you would get by eating whole fruits and vegetables. This dietary fibre is what helps you to feel full, aids in digestion and lowers your risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.
If you’d like to learn more about fibre, click here.
Myth #6: Low fat products are healthier.
Fact: The low fat options are not actually healthier alternatives. When something is labelled as low fat, fat-free or light, it often contains a lot more added sugar and/or salt. You’re better off just consuming the full fat version in moderation. Refer back to Myth #2 for which types of fats are healthiest.
Myth #7: Weight loss is easy.
Fact: This is absolutely false. While many companies use rapid and/or extreme weight loss as a marketing tactic, it’s just not as easy as they make it seem. Sustainable weight loss takes effort, consistency and patience. Then there are other factors to consider, like genetics and hormones. Don’t be discouraged if your journey is not as quick as those advertised, you’ll get there if you just keep going.
If you would like more support with your weight loss journey, click here to explore if coaching with us is the right fit for you.
These are all very common fitness myths that can still be overheard in everyday conversations. While well meaning, sometimes, advice from family and friends isn’t the best source for valid information about exercise and/or nutrition. Knowing how quickly information can spread, you can now be part of the solution in dispelling these myths.
What’s the most recent fitness/nutrition myth you’ve heard?
Let me know in the comments!
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Not recent, but I did hear a lot of influencers pushing for dieting. Dieting will help you lose weight. But that could be a marketing tactic from companies to push for their dieting products.
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It’s true that dieting can help someone lose weight. The problem with most diets and diet products pushed by influencers is that they’re not sustainable long-term. Once someone stops, they often regain the weight they lost and then some. It’s much more sustainable to make small changes to your eating habits and be consistent over time if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
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