The Athlete

Three fitness myths that keep America fat

Taking the advice of friends and family may be a good idea when it comes to raising your children, choosing a place of worship, or finding the best deal on groceries, your loved ones may not know what is best when it comes to fitness. Here are a few myths about exercise and why they are not true.

First is the belief among some segments of society that while one can work out at home, it is not the way to a good workout. This myth is simply false. While the owners of gyms would love to have you in their places of business and they can be a huge help to the people with the time and money to go there, there is no reason not to get a quality workout at home. Buy some good books or videos on workouts and some quality equipment for your home. Then, learn to use it!

Another popular myth is the idea that unless one can devote a significant chunk of time in which to work out very intensely, exercise is useless. This myth could not be further from the truth! Anyone with a sedentary lifestyle should start small and move toward big workouts now! The longer somebody continues to sit in traffic or on the couch or even in the bleachers without doing anything, the longer her or his heart is suffering because of it. Every minute of a workout counts, and every minute someone works out instead of continuing a sedentary lifestyle is beneficial to his or her health.

A third dangerous workout myth is the idea that working out more means one can lose all the weight desired. This myth is not true and may cause harm to people who continue to push themselves beyond a normal workout routine because they believe they will continue to lose weight. One’s weight is determined by a number of factors, including heredity and medical history. Working out for hours everyday without a proper nutritional lifestyle to back it up does not create someone who is fit. One should combine working out with an otherwise fit life, including not smoking and good nutrition. In this sense, a workout is only one piece of the puzzle, and trying to use it to solve the whole riddle can be dangerous or even deadly.