How many weight loss tips do you know? Plenty, right? You’ve read them in the health and fitness magazines, you’ve seen them on the Internet, you may have heard them from your doctor, and you’ve certainly discussed them with your friends.
By now you probably know, although may not want to believe, that fad diets, weight loss pills and supplements do not work. However, we constantly hold out hope that THIS diet or pill or piece of exercise equipment will be the ONE. And I will not insult your intelligence by lecturing you on the need to take in fewer calories than you use up during the day.
The problem is that the weight loss industry is filled with myths and misleading information. Why is this? Maybe it’s because they want you to buy their products. People also misinterpret information and so truths may get twisted. Here are three common myths and the truth about each one.
Myth #1: It is possible to accomplish spot reduction of fat. FALSE! It is impossible to force your body to spot reduce, no matter what workouts you are doing. Doing crunches and leg lifts to reduce belly fat frequently reduces the muscle mass rather than the fat beneath the abdomen. So instead of focusing on working on one area of your body, it is best to work your entire body while you follow a healthy diet. This will certainly speed up your metabolism and that is what burns fat.
Myth #2: Body fat can be reduced by reducing your calorie intake drastically. Of course this is FALSE. Have you ever crash dieted? Did you really believe you could lose fat pounds rather than just some water and muscle weight? When we starve ourselves, our bodies react by entering starvation made. Our bodies decide they are being starved and so lower our metabolic rate and burn muscle rather than fat to produce energy. And once we go back to our regular habits, the weight is regained.
Myth #3: You can lose weight and fat just by doing cardio exercises. Also NOT true. While aerobic and cardio exercises are really great, what you need to add to your routine is weight lifting. Actually, lifting weights is better than the cardio and aerobic exercise because your body will continue to burn fat long after the workout is finished. That makes you a fat burning machine!
Three myths – all not true. Take the healthy path. Choose an eating plan that fits your life style while still remaining healthy. Add weight lifting to your workout routine. The result? A lean body.
Jeanene Fisher works with clients to help them to lose weight, stop smoking, and deal with the stress they experiencethat leads tophysical and emotional problems. She is also an author of several articles and e-books. Jeanene is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and a Practioner of EFT.
