Fearless Fitness Weekly Update 3/28: Get Your Fitness Facts STRAIGHT!

SERIOUSLY? the SHAKE WEIGHT?! It might be time to get you're fitness facts STRAIGHT!

1.) Caroline Jordan Fitness Schedule and Special Events March 28 – April 2:

Monday 3/28: 5:30pm Competition Core and 6-645pm Chisel’d, 6:50-7:30pm Muscles On The Mat** EQUINOX

Tuesday 3/29: 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX, 5pm Ball, 5:30pm BOSU, 6 pm Spin Circuit, and 7pm Sports Stretch Club One Citigroup

Wednesday 3/30: 5:30-6:00pm Competition Core, 6-645pm Chisel’d, 6:50-7:30pm Muscles On The Mat, 7:30-7:45pm Sports Stretch EQUINOX

Thursday 3/31: 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX .

Friday 4/1 : 12pm Abs and 12:30pm Cycling EQUINOX

Saturday 4/2: 10 am Chisel’d and 11am Cycling EQUINOX

Fearless Fitness Tip Of the Week: Get Your Fitness Facts STRAIGHT!

When it comes to fitness, there’s a lot of advice out there that’s easy to write off, “Follow this program for a perfect body in just 7 minutes a day!” But somewhere between the crazy ideas and sound advice, there’s also stuff that sounds pretty believable. And in the multi-billion dollar moneymaking fitness industry people will tell you anything to get some of your money. When there is money to be made you’re guaranteed to find fraud, misinformation, dangerous supplements, false promises, and unsafe exercises. The best way to combat common misconceptions and myths is to educate yourself on the fitness facts.  It’s far less costly to learn the truth than to fall victim to ignorance and waste precious workout time following hazardous health advice.

Having a hard time figuring out the facts? Read below for the truth on some of the prevailing fitness myths that prevent you from getting healthy and feeling your best.

1.) “I want to loose weight… So I only exercise in the Fat Burning Zone”

This myth has been around for ages and has prevented many exercisers from reaching their weight loss goals. “The Fat Burning Zone” lies between 50 and 70 percent of your maximum hear rate. When you exercise at this low intensity, your body draws energy from fat. As your heart rate goes up, more energy (calories) comes from carbohydrates. It might seem “logical” that to loose fat you should keep your heart rate low. But that’s not the case.

Working out at a higher intensity might cause you to burn a lower percentage of calories from fat in favor of calories from carbohydrates. But the truth is, you still burn more total calories working out at a higher intensity. And that is the real key to slimming down. Plus since you use more total calories working at higher intensities, the total amount of fat burned increases too. In the end, it pays off to pick up the pace in your workouts.

2.) “Eating at night causes weight gain”

Religious about not eating after 7pm? Many fitness folks believe that their metabolism slows later in the day, which is when we often overeat nutritionally void foods. But a calorie is a calorie no matter when you eat it. As long as you don’t take in more calories than you burn in the day you won’t gain weight.  Overeating at 9pm is no worse than overeating at 9am. Watch your overall intake instead of the clock and you won’t risk gaining weight eating late.

3.) “Weight Lifting will bulk you up”

Despite all the evidence, people still tend to blow off weight training for cardio the “bigger calorie burner”. Disregard what you may have heard through the grapevine. If you want to loose weight, you need to lift it. Strength training increases your endurance, stamina, and your body’s lean muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active then fat. Therefore, increased muscle mass equals more calories burned at work and at rest. Not only that, but muscle is denser than fat. Weight training can help you shave inches off your body and maintain a leaner appearance.

4.) “Toning” workouts are done by lifting lighter weights for many reps and are best for women who are looking to gain definition.

Put the three-pound weights down. You need to lift heavier to see results. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), lifting lighter weights (less than 70 percent of your maximum effort) for 12 reps or more is simply going to produce muscular endurance without much muscle growth. Meaning you’ll be able to lift for a higher amount of repetitions but you won’t see much of a physical difference. What looks “toned” is more developed muscles and a low level of body fat. This is better achieved by lifting heavier weights (70-80 percent of maximum effort) for eight to 12 repetitions per set to fatigue or near fatigue. Don’t be fooled by the workouts that wave wimpy weights around all hour long in the promise that you’ll be “lean and long”. “Toning workouts” are one of the worst fitness myths; you’ll find your defined muscles with workouts that challenge your body to build them.

5.) “If you work out an hour a day you can maintain your weight”

Truth is, you can out eat your workouts. Even if you’re training an hour (or more) each day, if you consistently consume more than you burn, you may not lose weight at all and probably add a few pounds to the scale. To manage your weight the key is to keep a neutral energy balance by consuming the calories that you need without consuming extra, which will be stored as fat on the body. A registered dietitian can help make a program to get you at your correct energy balance (or deficit if weight loss is your goal) without sacrificing nutritional needs. Your physique is 80% diet and 20% training. Match your workout efforts with a clean eating plan to make real results happen in the gym.

6.) “You can spot reduce by targeting stubborn trouble spots with specific exercises. Get rid of your belly fat with endless crunches!”

A well-rounded exercise program that consists of training all muscle groups is the only way to a leaner, stronger you. Sorry, but buying the latest abs roller or toning shoes won’t do anything for you. Your “trouble spots” (abs muscles, thighs, triceps… whatever the case may be) can be strengthened, but weight loss comes from the body as a whole and not just the areas that are exercised. The only real way to minimize fat in one specific area is by tightening up your diet and dedicating yourself to a complete total-body program. There are no short cuts to get rid of “trouble spots”. Make sure your fitness regimen includes total body strength, challenging cardio workouts, and flexibility training to look and feel your best. With a little hard work and a well-rounded workout routine you can improve the overall look of your entire body.

7.)The more sweat, the better the workout.

Sweating is synonymous with working out, but it isn’t necessarily a measure of how effective your workout is. Yes, sweating is the body’s way of cooling off (and we can all attest to getting a little overheated during our workouts), but some people just sweat more than others. For the best indicator of workout intensity, measure your heart rate and calories burned during your sweat session.

8.) It’s hard to find time to exercise in my busy schedule. I need at least an hour to really get a workout.

It actually takes very little time and effort to improve your health significantly. And as the old saying goes, “why spend thousands on hospital bills later on in life when you can spend just a little bit of your time each day taking care of your health?” All it takes is a modest 30 minutes a day. If you can’t do anything more, recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say a brisk 30 minute walk a day can help maintain a healthy weight plus may reduce your risk for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and certain types of cancers. You’ll also benefit from stronger muscles and bones, a reduced chance of injury, improved mood, increased energy, improved mental health, and a longer life.

Fearless Fitness Challenge Of The Week: Educate Yourself!!

Sadly the list of fitness misconceptions and myths is endless. If there’s an exercise question you’re not sure about, this week I challenge you to do your part and educate yourself! Talk to a professional and read up on a wellness topic that confuses you. Shake weights and toning shoes? Find out whats REAL and what will help you reach you’re health goals. Fitness myths shouldn’t hold you back from getting fit. I challenge you to arm yourself with the facts and you’ll live to be your healthiest.

Do you have a fitness or health question you want answered? Send ‘em my way! I love helping you on your way towards your healthiest and happiest self. Write to me at: [email protected] . Keep up the great work and I’ll see you for class soon!

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