Interestingly, there have always been a lot of misconceptions about working out like there is about anything and everything. This post has the potential of being a blog of its own but I am gonna talk about a few interesting ones that still walk the workout world..
Here goes my list of the most interesteing Myths and Misconceptions about working out
Myth 1 - I don't need to lose weight, so I don't need to workout.
Let me get straight to the point. Working out is not about losing weight (PERIOD). Its about getting fit. In the process of getting fit we could end up shedding unwanted carbs, fats and sugars and there by lose some weight but that is not the only reason to workout. The benefits of working out are 50 % physical and 50 % mental. Yes working out makes us active, makes us physically fit etc but it also gives us a lot of confidence, self belief, freedom, mental stability and a great attitude. These can be realized only when we workout.
Myth 2 - I am skinny so I am fit.
When I hear people say this I just feel like cussing but I am not going to right now. Being skinny like being fat is just a body type. It does not have anything to do with being fit. I have seen a lot of skinny people who are unable to even support their own weights with their legs and keep tripping down as they take a couple of strides to run. Skinny obese (Skinny Fat) is as critical may be more critical than being Big and obese. The reason is skinny people assume that they are fit and healthy and do not care about sugar levels, fats etc. So health and fitness have nothing to do with your body type. Working out is universal.
Myth 3 - Morning is the best time to work out.
No time is bad time to workout. Infact anytime you workout you have a great time. So enough of these talks to keep ourselves from working out. The only time we really should not workout is right after a meal. That too only if the meal is too heavy. I also recommend not to workout right after an intense work out. Wait a little before going at it one more time, I am very serious here ;)
Myth 4 - Women should not workout as intense as men
This is another interesting one. My view, no one worksout as intense as some one. Intensity levels vary with individual. The key here is, men or women, everyone needs to keep pushing their limits and let the body decide for itself what that limit is. Workouts are surely not gender biased they are just upto each and every individual. Listen to your body not to your mind cos the mind always wants you to stop.
Myth 5 - I am just a starter I need to take it easy
We are starters only on the first day of our workout, thats it. We should never take it easy, right from day one we just have to keep pushing ourselves. If we think we are starters, we always will be one and will never go beyond that point. So put these things aside and enjoy the happiness of an intense workout.
Myth 6 - I am over 40 I need to walk more n run less.
Walking is not for old people its only for lazy people. Every evening I see this inspriring Asian guy, 75 yrs of age ( I know his age cos I asked him and he told me). Trust me he does not look like he is in his 70's (I say this knocking on wood). This guy runs 3 miles every day slowly but surely runs them. His body is rock solid and he said he has been doing this for a very long time. I wish I live that way to inspire someone when I am 70. Again he is not the only guy there are many people like him who remind me that walking is just for lazy people. People dont walk because they have joint pains and aches, they have pains n aches as they chose to walk and not run.
Myth 7 - Kids should not work out it would affect their growth.
This is funny really funny. My girls (2 1/2 yrs old) workout with me all the time. They run about 400 mts with me every other day. They hang for minutes together on monkey bars and jump around like the bunny, all day. I hold them upside down and they twist their upper body and do little crunches. They have done all these for a while now and they are doing great. If, by working out you were referring to lifing weights etc, yeah those are not for kids, not becaue it will affect their growth but just because they might injure themselves. Other wise kids can do anything they wanna do. Just let them do whatever they wanna do. Tire them out everyday and you wouldnt have to feed them or put them to sleep, they would rather ask for it (A line from my book on parenting :))
Myth 8 - I haven't lost any weight. This is pointless, I'm not accomplishing anything, Why should I workout
Weighing scales are not indicators of our efforts. When workout, we gain strength, we get fitter by day, our thoughts are clearer, our actions are steadier, our life style is calmer, peaceful n happy. Weighing scales don't know all these. If you still looking at weighing scales, heart rate monitors, calories counters etc to gauge your efforts, CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE BEFORE YOU WORKOUT AGAIN.
Myth 9 - I am fat I need to do more workouts that are less intense
Incidentally, I was talking about this very thing to a friend, yesterday. Thanks to WIKI and GOOGLE I was able to substantiate my points and views. If jogging(or slow paced/less intense aerobic workout) for a couple hours was the only way to reduce the fat from our bodies not many will have the motivation to do it on a regular basis. And again, if we keep doing the same workout over and over again, our body does not respond as well as it did initially.
With intense workouts, the body burns a lot of carbs. It surely does. So intense workout for about 20 minutes is as good as a slow paced run for 2 hours. Intense workouts burn a lot of carbs and once the carbs are burnt out it starts buring fats. We just need to make sure the intensity is up all the time. Plyometrics is the way to go. More on plyometrics coming soon.
Myth 10 - Drinking too much water does not let you gain muscles.
This is just the most ridiculous myth on the list. I have heard fitness trainers mention that they drink little to no water for weeks before a stage show so their muscles are in proper shape. I have heard and read movie stars avoid water to develop six pack abs for their movies and end up with kidney problems.
Thats not what we want. We need to get fit, and stay healthy, working towards this goal means doing things the right way and looking good is bound to happen. So please drink a lot of water, I drink about a gallon of water (4 liters) everyday and I believe I look great.
Myth 11- I don’t have time to exercise.
I just saved the best for the last, I just did. We don't find time because we dont want to. We see the world with our own eyes. All we see, listen and do is what we wanted to see, what we wanted to listen and do.
So if someone says they don't have time to do something it just means they do not want to do it. Its just the perspective.
Have you ever noticed that once you started to, say run/ workout, the whole world seems to be running. Ever thought why? People have always been running, people have always been working out and we have seen them too but we just did not want to accept them in our mind. So once we start doing things, our perspectives change and suddenly every one seems to be doing what we are doing. That's my whole point if we wanna accept and do something we surely will.
I try to be polite to all those who have said this to me, I wont be the same always :), So....
If you have any questions please post them and I will be more than happy to answer.
I owe a million thanks to the thousands of people who have been reading my blog and working out towards an healthy self, You are truly making this life of mine worth while. Thank you for coming on board this quest of self realization, . I request every one to take the responsibility, spread the word around and make this world a healthier, happier place.
If you could share your success stories through your comments and click "follow" to follow this blog, it would mean a lot to me. Thanks in advance keep working out.
Here goes my list of the most interesteing Myths and Misconceptions about working out
Myth 1 - I don't need to lose weight, so I don't need to workout.
Let me get straight to the point. Working out is not about losing weight (PERIOD). Its about getting fit. In the process of getting fit we could end up shedding unwanted carbs, fats and sugars and there by lose some weight but that is not the only reason to workout. The benefits of working out are 50 % physical and 50 % mental. Yes working out makes us active, makes us physically fit etc but it also gives us a lot of confidence, self belief, freedom, mental stability and a great attitude. These can be realized only when we workout.
Myth 2 - I am skinny so I am fit.
When I hear people say this I just feel like cussing but I am not going to right now. Being skinny like being fat is just a body type. It does not have anything to do with being fit. I have seen a lot of skinny people who are unable to even support their own weights with their legs and keep tripping down as they take a couple of strides to run. Skinny obese (Skinny Fat) is as critical may be more critical than being Big and obese. The reason is skinny people assume that they are fit and healthy and do not care about sugar levels, fats etc. So health and fitness have nothing to do with your body type. Working out is universal.
Myth 3 - Morning is the best time to work out.
No time is bad time to workout. Infact anytime you workout you have a great time. So enough of these talks to keep ourselves from working out. The only time we really should not workout is right after a meal. That too only if the meal is too heavy. I also recommend not to workout right after an intense work out. Wait a little before going at it one more time, I am very serious here ;)
Myth 4 - Women should not workout as intense as men
This is another interesting one. My view, no one worksout as intense as some one. Intensity levels vary with individual. The key here is, men or women, everyone needs to keep pushing their limits and let the body decide for itself what that limit is. Workouts are surely not gender biased they are just upto each and every individual. Listen to your body not to your mind cos the mind always wants you to stop.
Myth 5 - I am just a starter I need to take it easy
We are starters only on the first day of our workout, thats it. We should never take it easy, right from day one we just have to keep pushing ourselves. If we think we are starters, we always will be one and will never go beyond that point. So put these things aside and enjoy the happiness of an intense workout.
Myth 6 - I am over 40 I need to walk more n run less.
Walking is not for old people its only for lazy people. Every evening I see this inspriring Asian guy, 75 yrs of age ( I know his age cos I asked him and he told me). Trust me he does not look like he is in his 70's (I say this knocking on wood). This guy runs 3 miles every day slowly but surely runs them. His body is rock solid and he said he has been doing this for a very long time. I wish I live that way to inspire someone when I am 70. Again he is not the only guy there are many people like him who remind me that walking is just for lazy people. People dont walk because they have joint pains and aches, they have pains n aches as they chose to walk and not run.
Myth 7 - Kids should not work out it would affect their growth.
This is funny really funny. My girls (2 1/2 yrs old) workout with me all the time. They run about 400 mts with me every other day. They hang for minutes together on monkey bars and jump around like the bunny, all day. I hold them upside down and they twist their upper body and do little crunches. They have done all these for a while now and they are doing great. If, by working out you were referring to lifing weights etc, yeah those are not for kids, not becaue it will affect their growth but just because they might injure themselves. Other wise kids can do anything they wanna do. Just let them do whatever they wanna do. Tire them out everyday and you wouldnt have to feed them or put them to sleep, they would rather ask for it (A line from my book on parenting :))
Myth 8 - I haven't lost any weight. This is pointless, I'm not accomplishing anything, Why should I workout
Weighing scales are not indicators of our efforts. When workout, we gain strength, we get fitter by day, our thoughts are clearer, our actions are steadier, our life style is calmer, peaceful n happy. Weighing scales don't know all these. If you still looking at weighing scales, heart rate monitors, calories counters etc to gauge your efforts, CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE BEFORE YOU WORKOUT AGAIN.
Myth 9 - I am fat I need to do more workouts that are less intense
Incidentally, I was talking about this very thing to a friend, yesterday. Thanks to WIKI and GOOGLE I was able to substantiate my points and views. If jogging(or slow paced/less intense aerobic workout) for a couple hours was the only way to reduce the fat from our bodies not many will have the motivation to do it on a regular basis. And again, if we keep doing the same workout over and over again, our body does not respond as well as it did initially.
With intense workouts, the body burns a lot of carbs. It surely does. So intense workout for about 20 minutes is as good as a slow paced run for 2 hours. Intense workouts burn a lot of carbs and once the carbs are burnt out it starts buring fats. We just need to make sure the intensity is up all the time. Plyometrics is the way to go. More on plyometrics coming soon.
Myth 10 - Drinking too much water does not let you gain muscles.
This is just the most ridiculous myth on the list. I have heard fitness trainers mention that they drink little to no water for weeks before a stage show so their muscles are in proper shape. I have heard and read movie stars avoid water to develop six pack abs for their movies and end up with kidney problems.
Thats not what we want. We need to get fit, and stay healthy, working towards this goal means doing things the right way and looking good is bound to happen. So please drink a lot of water, I drink about a gallon of water (4 liters) everyday and I believe I look great.
Myth 11- I don’t have time to exercise.
I just saved the best for the last, I just did. We don't find time because we dont want to. We see the world with our own eyes. All we see, listen and do is what we wanted to see, what we wanted to listen and do.
So if someone says they don't have time to do something it just means they do not want to do it. Its just the perspective.
Have you ever noticed that once you started to, say run/ workout, the whole world seems to be running. Ever thought why? People have always been running, people have always been working out and we have seen them too but we just did not want to accept them in our mind. So once we start doing things, our perspectives change and suddenly every one seems to be doing what we are doing. That's my whole point if we wanna accept and do something we surely will.
I try to be polite to all those who have said this to me, I wont be the same always :), So....
If you have any questions please post them and I will be more than happy to answer.
I owe a million thanks to the thousands of people who have been reading my blog and working out towards an healthy self, You are truly making this life of mine worth while. Thank you for coming on board this quest of self realization, . I request every one to take the responsibility, spread the word around and make this world a healthier, happier place.
If you could share your success stories through your comments and click "follow" to follow this blog, it would mean a lot to me. Thanks in advance keep working out.
