The Citizen, 2010-02-18, Page 22From the Heart and Stroke FoundationThere’s a lot of free advice about
physical activity out there these days
— some reliable, some not.
It’s easy to fall into the trap: A
friend gives you an activity tip, and
then you pass it on to several buddies
you know. One day, you’re at your
weekly yoga class, and sure enough,
you hear the same tip repeated, so
you figure it must be true.
When you’re unsure, the important
thing is to ask a qualified fitness
professional for advice. In the
meantime, knowing the difference
between fact and fiction will keep
you healthy, injury-free, and on track
to meeting your physical activity
goals.
Here are some myths that need
some challenging:
Myth #1: An aerobic workout will
boost your calorie burn for hours
after you stop working out.
False: Don’t confuse calorie burn
with metabolism. While your
metabolism will continue to rev at a
slightly higher rate after you finish
an aerobic workout, the amount of
calorie burn is not statistically
significant.
In fact, you’ll only use up about 20
extra calories for the rest of the day.
While there’s a little bit more of a
metabolic boost after strength
training, it’s still negligible. In other
words, don’t use the fact that you
worked out to eat more.
Myth #2: If you’re not working up
a sweat, you’re not exercising hard
enough.
False: Sweating or perspiring is
not necessarily an indicator of
exertion. Perspiring is your body’s
way of cooling itself. It’s possible to
burn a significant number of calories
without breaking a sweat.
Myth #3: Strength training will
make me “bulk up”.
False: Gaining muscle mass is
something you have to work very
hard at to achieve, male or female.
Women tend to avoid weight training
because they don’t want to look
bulked up.
However, strength training is a
critical element to maintaining a
healthy weight and strengthening
your body. What we know is that the
average woman doesn’t typically
gain bulk from strength training
because she doesn’t have the amount
of hormones necessary to build
massive amounts of muscle.
Myth #4: Machines are a safer
way to weight train because you’re
doing it right every time.
False: Although it may seem as ifan exercise machine automaticallyputs your body in the right position
and helps you do all the movements
correctly, that’s only true if the
machine is properly adjusted for
your weight and height. Before
using any equipment or performing
any exercise, you should ensure you
understand the full mechanics of the
movement and the proper endpoints.
Unless you have a coach or a
trainer to figure out what is the right
setting for you, you can make just as
many mistakes in form and function
and have just as high a risk of injury
on a machine as if you work out with
free weights or do any other type of
workout.
Myth #5: When it comes to
physical activity, you’ve got to feel
some pain if you’re going to gain
any benefits.
False: While you should expect to
have some degree of stiffness or
soreness a day or two after physical
activity, that’s very different from
feeling pain while you are working
out.
A fitness activity should not hurt
while you are doing it, and if it does,
then either you are doing it
incorrectly, or you already have an
injury.
As for “working through the pain,”
experts advise against it. If it hurts,
stop, rest, and see if the pain goes
away. If it doesn’t go away, or if it
begins again or increases after you
start an activity, see a doctor.
Myth #6: If I can’t be active often
enough, I might as well not even do
it.
False: Remember: Any activity is
better than no activity, even if it’s
only a 15-minute walk. Being
physically active is important for
heart health and is proven to reduce
stress.
So, even if you can’t make it to the
gym or yoga class, you can always
do something active each day.
Taking a walk, climbing the stairs
instead of hopping on the elevator or
escalator all count!
Myth #7: You can take weight off
of specific body parts by doing
exercises that target those areas.
False: This concept is called “spot
training” and unfortunately, it
doesn’t target fatty areas. When you
lose weight, your body
predetermines which fat stores it will
use.
For example, doing sit-ups will
strengthen your abs but will not take
the fat off of your stomach.
Similarly, an activity like running
burns fat all over your body, not justyour legs. You can, however,complement a balanced physical
activity program with a selection of
weight training exercises to
gradually lose weight and tone your
body.
Myth #8: You will burn more fat if
you exercise longer at a lower
intensity.
False: The most important factor
in physical activity and weight
control is not the percentage of fat
calories burned, but the total calories
burned during the activity. The faster
you walk, bike or swim, for
example, the more calories you use
per minute.
You may still be burning more
calories (and likely will be) from fat
but the relative percentage of the
source will be altered. So high
intensity exercises will likely burn
more calories total, as well as
attributable energy to fat
metabolism.
Myth #9: I can eat what I want
because my workout will keep the
weight off.
False: If you tend to eat large-
portion meals such as 340 g/12 oz
steaks, two to three cups of pasta,
three to four slices of pizza, or high-
calorie foods such as chocolate
shakes and fries on a regular basis,
no manner of workout will burn
enough of those calories off to keep
your weight in check.
A healthy way to achieve and
maintain a healthy weight is to
combine healthy eating with regular
physical activity – they go hand in
hand.
Need help? Try The Heart and
Stroke Foundation’s Healthy
Weights Action Plan.
Myth #10: The best time to be
active is early in the morning.
False: There is no one optimal
time to be active. The best time is the
time that appeals to you and fits into
your schedule on a regular basis.
Some folks love to jump-start their
day with a morning workout, while
others swear that physical activity at
the end of the work day is a great
way to boost energy for the evening
and eliminate stress. Choose
whatever works for you.
Before starting any activity
program, be sure to talk to your
doctor or other healthcare
professional.
This physical activity column was
written by a certified personal
trainer and fitness instructor and
reviewed by a specialist in
kinesiology
PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010.Heart & Stroke clears upphysical activity myths
Fitness fun
A group, primarily comprised of seniors, skied the local area on the weekend. They are
residents of Exeter, Stratford St. Joseph, Bluevale, Wingham and Embro, here to enjoy a
beautiful ‘snow day’ in Huron. (Photo submitted)
Nice contact
Getting bat on the ball is tough under normal
circumstances, let alone in the snow and cold, but Nicole
Stevenson shows how it’s done. Last weekend snow pitch
softball was part of the winter carnival, held in Brussels, just
outside of the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community
Centre. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
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