5 myths I you may (or may not) already know

SHBoss1673

I have done a lot of research into the topic of exercise, health, and nutrition. Along the way I have heard many many theories. Some of those theories sound perfectly logical, but they aren't all right, and some can be a huge hinderance to people trying to lose weight. I'm going to post a few of the most recent ones I have heard.

1) "You body will know when you need food."
While for a healthy, physically fit person, this is generally true, it's not necessarily the case for people who are overweight. When you are overweight or obese, oft-times the chemistry in your body skews from the normal. We feel hunger (or lack of hunger) because of hormones released by the body. For someone who has been eating badly for many years, usually our chemical balance is off target. Generally, if we don't eat right and exercise regularly, the body is going to change the chemicals in our body to account for it and ignore what a healthy version of your body needs, and run off what the CURRENT version of your body wants. Create a plan based on the calories you SHOULD be eating, and stick to it.

2) "You need lots and lots of medium level cardiovascular exercise to burn fat."
This isn't really true. Many many studies out there confirm that interval training is more effective then longer cardio routines (I can find some studies if you want to read them, email me if you want it) at burning fat for an extended period. In fact, in a recent article in OnFitness, it was stated that you can actually target (to a degree), intramuscular fat (not adipose fat like belly fat or hips) by using extremely high intensity, shorter workouts where the muscle is so energy depleted that it will pull energy from the closest available source, which would be the fat embedded within the muscle.

3) "You need more protein if you are doing weight training."
This all depends on if you are taking in enough protein in the first place. While it's true that eating a small amount of COMPLETE amino acids along with some simple carbohydrates within an hour or two of doing intense weight training is helpful with building muscle and removing the need for your body to burn protein from lean tissue, that doesn't mean you should up your protein levels. Excess protein will only be converted to energy and stored, just as excess carbohydrates are stored. Also excess protein can lead (over the long term) to calcium leeching from the bones and be a contributing factor to osteoporosis later in life.

4) "Pills that reduce hunger will help me lose weight"
Pills that stimulate the feeling of being full, or contain high amounts of water soluble fiber will reduce the amount of food you want to eat when you are hungry. But pills that stimulate feelings of being full only block the receptors, they don't stop the hunger hormones from being produced. That means that when you stop taking these pills, you will go back to the same you were before. and generally, you will actually eat more and gain back any weight you did lose. Fiber pills help to fill up the stomach with slow digesting forms of fiber. But these pills offer very little, or nothing, in the way of nutrition, allowing you to go longer periods without the nutrition you need to keep your metabolism running at a normal level. Better to eat high fiber foods that offer complete nutritional benefits like legumes, beans, nuts, flax, apples and oranges to name a few.

5) "I'm out of shape and obese, I can't train at a high level."
Simply not true. assuming you don't have any acute medical problems (heart or lung issues, acute joint pain, muscle spasms, or dizzy spells to name a few common issues), obese people can work their heart just as hard as elite athletes. The PERFORMANCE level may be drastically different (for example where an obese person may reach 90% max heart rate at a brisk 15 minute walk, where as an elite athlete needs a 3 minute all out sprint to do this), but the relative cardiac output and results realized will be similar and include, increased long term rise in metabolic rate, increased cardiovascular efficiency, and increased anaerobic threshold (all of which lead to more fat burned over the long term). So don't be afraid to get sweaty, tired, and gasping for air. While low intensity workouts will help you lose weight, higher intensity will work for you even more, and allow you to be more varied in your workout types in the future, which will not only make you feel better about your workouts, but they will keep you from becoming bored and lessen the chances of you quitting.
NOTE on this myth, be cognizant of your body if you do this. Higher intensity has it's risks, seeing a trainer even just one time for help designing a strenuous workout would be great, and might save you from a trip to the emergency room!

SHBoss1673

I have done a lot of research into the topic of exercise, health, and nutrition. Along the way I have heard many many theories. Some of those theories sound perfectly logical, but they aren't all right, and some can be a huge hinderance to people trying to lose weight. I'm going to post a few of the most recent ones I have heard.

1) "You body will know when you need food."
While for a healthy, physically fit person, this is generally true, it's not necessarily the case for people who are overweight. When you are overweight or obese, oft-times the chemistry in your body skews from the normal. We feel hunger (or lack of hunger) because of hormones released by the body. For someone who has been eating badly for many years, usually our chemical balance is off target. Generally, if we don't eat right and exercise regularly, the body is going to change the chemicals in our body to account for it and ignore what a healthy version of your body needs, and run off what the CURRENT version of your body wants. Create a plan based on the calories you SHOULD be eating, and stick to it.

2) "You need lots and lots of medium level cardiovascular exercise to burn fat."
This isn't really true. Many many studies out there confirm that interval training is more effective then longer cardio routines (I can find some studies if you want to read them, email me if you want it) at burning fat for an extended period. In fact, in a recent article in OnFitness, it was stated that you can actually target (to a degree), intramuscular fat (not adipose fat like belly fat or hips) by using extremely high intensity, shorter workouts where the muscle is so energy depleted that it will pull energy from the closest available source, which would be the fat embedded within the muscle.

3) "You need more protein if you are doing weight training."
This all depends on if you are taking in enough protein in the first place. While it's true that eating a small amount of COMPLETE amino acids along with some simple carbohydrates within an hour or two of doing intense weight training is helpful with building muscle and removing the need for your body to burn protein from lean tissue, that doesn't mean you should up your protein levels. Excess protein will only be converted to energy and stored, just as excess carbohydrates are stored. Also excess protein can lead (over the long term) to calcium leeching from the bones and be a contributing factor to osteoporosis later in life.

4) "Pills that reduce hunger will help me lose weight"
Pills that stimulate the feeling of being full, or contain high amounts of water soluble fiber will reduce the amount of food you want to eat when you are hungry. But pills that stimulate feelings of being full only block the receptors, they don't stop the hunger hormones from being produced. That means that when you stop taking these pills, you will go back to the same you were before. and generally, you will actually eat more and gain back any weight you did lose. Fiber pills help to fill up the stomach with slow digesting forms of fiber. But these pills offer very little, or nothing, in the way of nutrition, allowing you to go longer periods without the nutrition you need to keep your metabolism running at a normal level. Better to eat high fiber foods that offer complete nutritional benefits like legumes, beans, nuts, flax, apples and oranges to name a few.

5) "I'm out of shape and obese, I can't train at a high level."
Simply not true. assuming you don't have any acute medical problems (heart or lung issues, acute joint pain, muscle spasms, or dizzy spells to name a few common issues), obese people can work their heart just as hard as elite athletes. The PERFORMANCE level may be drastically different (for example where an obese person may reach 90% max heart rate at a brisk 15 minute walk, where as an elite athlete needs a 3 minute all out sprint to do this), but the relative cardiac output and results realized will be similar and include, increased long term rise in metabolic rate, increased cardiovascular efficiency, and increased anaerobic threshold (all of which lead to more fat burned over the long term). So don't be afraid to get sweaty, tired, and gasping for air. While low intensity workouts will help you lose weight, higher intensity will work for you even more, and allow you to be more varied in your workout types in the future, which will not only make you feel better about your workouts, but they will keep you from becoming bored and lessen the chances of you quitting.
NOTE on this myth, be cognizant of your body if you do this. Higher intensity has it's risks, seeing a trainer even just one time for help designing a strenuous workout would be great, and might save you from a trip to the emergency room!

running4myhealth

When I do my long(ish) runs of 7-8 miles, I am usually at a heart rate of about 85% because I am trying to increase my speed. I have often wondered if this is as good as interval training because my heart rate is up there the entire time I am running with no breaks to let it go down to a 'rest' period.

Jackie_W

Thanks for sharing Banks :flowerforyou:

SHBoss1673

When I do my long(ish) runs of 7-8 miles, I am usually at a heart rate of about 85% because I am trying to increase my speed. I have often wondered if this is as good as interval training because my heart rate is up there the entire time I am running with no breaks to let it go down to a 'rest' period.

Well, it's not BAD. But it's not interval. Interval means a sharp rise, and a sharp decrease in your heart rate. This forces the body to react quickly to changes, boosts the release of hormones that engage energy extraction from fat (HGH, testosterone, and adrenaline). A constant heart rate, even a high constant heart rate, won't do this. The body will eventually become accustom to the rate and use a baseline which doesn't shock your muscles into requesting additional resources.

Better (and many elite runners do this) is to have 1 distance day a week, and a couple of sprint rest days. I.E. slow jog followed by a sprint until your muscles burn and you are gasping, followed by a VERY slow jog, etc. etc. etc.
2 benefits to this, one is what I stated above about heart rate, the other is it really does keep you from getting bored with running (as I used to be)

Losing_It

Thanks, Banks! Very informative!:flowerforyou:

SHBoss1673

You are welcome. My pleasure.:happy:

petunia

As usual, awesome advice...

Thank you! :drinker:

LuckyLeprechaun

Thanks Banksy!!

SHBoss1673

bumping for the afternoon crowd.

heather0mc

thanks BB (Boss Banks!)! :drinker:

CassieNic

bumping again. thanks!:drinker:

AmyNVegas

I like that last one and most calorie burn sites put me at a lot more calories than I actually burn according to the HR. Banks do you think it is because they assume all 370 pound women at 5'8" are too fat to exercise or are terribly out of shape? I have to put my weight down to about 250 on those sites to get a count near what the HRM says. Should I go with the HRM then? Thanks Banks!:drinker:

aprilvet

Another awesome, informative post. Thanks, Banks!!!:flowerforyou:

SHBoss1673

I like that last one and most calorie burn sites put me at a lot more calories than I actually burn according to the HR. Banks do you think it is because they assume all 370 pound women at 5'8" are too fat to exercise or are terribly out of shape? I have to put my weight down to about 250 on those sites to get a count near what the HRM says. Should I go with the HRM then? Thanks Banks!:drinker:

Amy, never let a site tell you you CAN'T do it!

As long as your healthy, and you do the workouts safely, you can do high intensity just like myself, or Song Byrd, or hell, even a professional hockey player. Now, considering that you probably don't yet have a feel for how hard you CAN work without injuring yourself, I would suggest a session with a trainer just to give you the routines you need to do the work.

For people with a lot of extra adipose body fat, High intensity workouts will burn an even higher percentage of fat proportionately then the rest of us. Just make sure you do it safe. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, a history of heart disease, respitory problems, or joint issues, you may have to taylor your workouts to not hurt quite so much. For a lot of these issues, pool workouts are the best (yes, you can do high intensity in the pool, in fact a pool is probably the BEST place to start this kind of work for the inexperienced person) because the pool is far more forgiving on the joints.

Getting that heart rate up into the high 80s or lower 90s percentage wise, is no more dangerous (assuming no medical issues) for an obese person, then anyone else. That has been proven by numerous studies. Of course, for beginners, the high intensity portions will (and should be) much shorter then for more experienced athletes, but that's besides the issue (this is why I said you should probably talk to a trainer).

Fitness_Chick

bump

AmyNVegas

Thanks Banks I actually started seeing a trainer at my gym last week and she put a strength routine together for me that added to my old one so I think I am getting a better workout. She is experienced with overweight people as she was one herself until she decided to change her life with diet and exercise so she is perfect for me. I am perfectly healthy no conditions other then tender knees and ankles. I just make sure I warm them up good before any heavy lifting/pushing with them. I park as far out in the lot at the gym as possible to get a good walk in to get the blood circulating again after the ride to the gym. So can you tell me more about what you do? You mix the strength with aerobic? So if I did some strength then some bike and then more strength would that do it or am I way off? Thanks for helping!

SHBoss1673

My routine is pretty intense most days, either High intensity interval training (HIIT) or 1/2 body weight training to failure (Im starting to get more into full body, with supersets instead of 1/2 body training though). I've already posted plenty on HIIT (you can check it out on my blog if you like). Weight training is more individualized for what you are working though, the trainer would be you best bet for that.

KatWood

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing