Myths and Mistakes in Fitness

I came across this from a personal trainer/athlete and had to share it because it's spot on. There are so many myths and fads surrounding fitness and nutrition, as well as mistakes that people make that will not only affect their results, but will have a negative impact on their health as well.

1. Doing ab workouts won't give you a flat stomach or abs, they just shape your abs.  Ever heard "abs are made in the kitchen?"... that's the truth.  Only a well-balanced diet along with cardio will allow you to drop enough fat to shred the layer between your fat and hidden abs.  And keep in mind you need a pretty low body fat in order to see defined abs!

2. I've definitely mentioned this in my posts before. It doesn't matter how much weight you lift. If you don't have the proper form when performing an exercise, you're putting yourself at risk for hurting yourself and you're most likely not isolating the desired muscle & therefore not working it correctly. I see so many people in the gym doing bicep curls halfway or literally squatting down 5 inches with a heavier weight...facepalm.

3. If you eat mostly fast food or food that's highly processed all the time, when you're at the gym you are just going to be burning off this food so you're not going to make any progress. Food is fuel and the majority of it should be as healthy as possible if you want to see changes! I follow IIFYM, but I definitely support eating clean 80-90% and hitting the majority of your macronutrients with nutrient-dense foods.  For the other 10%, or my "treats" and foods I like, I fit them into my macros.  Not everyone follows this, but I do think that it's important to eat mostly healthy food so you see progress and don't stay the same.

4. Skipping meals actually slows down your metabolism and makes you hungry, so that when you do eat, you'll eat more than you planned on.  Eating every meal, starting with breakfast to jump start your metabolism, will keep you feeling fuller longer and keep your metabolism going so you burn more calories.  Don't have time to cook? Prep your meals in advance! It makes life so much easier because you have something already prepared.  I take one day out of the week to cook meat, vegetables, etc. and then I can easily throw it together and make a meal in minutes.

5. I have a whole entire post on why sleep is important-- go read it! Sleep is so important for muscle recovery.  At least 7-8 hours is best!

6. Not everyone knows how to read a nutrition label in depth or knows what each ingredient in a food is, but I think it's important to have at least a basic idea.  Look at the serving size and number of servings, and be aware of things like saturated or trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium.  Look for foods high in fiber and make sure you're getting enough protein.  Also don't be fooled by foods that say "low-fat,""half the calories," or "light," because when you take something out, you have to put more of something else in so it tastes good.  For example, for "low fat" foods they add TONS of sugar! It's better to eat the regular versions of food.

There are many other myths & mistakes that people make regarding fitness and nutrition but I think these are some of the most common! If you're someone who makes these mistakes, work on it and you'll see a difference!