FITNESS MYTHS and EXCUSES YOU CAN'T STAND!!!
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Brittaney,
While I too share your exasperation with people who opt to not be fit and then complain about it. Please be careful how you throw around comments about pain. I do not do squats or lunges because I've had reconstructive surgery on my knee 4 times and the pain is excruciating. I work on exercises to continue to gain muscle strength, but your comment was hurtful. In this community I think we all need to try to stay a little more judgement free.
Many, many people have fixed their long term knee problems by full range squatting, going from a lifetime of pain to pain free. And speaking from experince, if hurts like hell at first, like my knee is going to rip apart and kneecap pop off.... (when I first started my knees hurt too much to do a single BW squat).
Many people actually did listen to the advice to suck it up and deal with the pain, and have come out the other side, and see knee based excuses as related to exercise about like the excuses fat people make. In the process learning that many doctors are flat out clueless when it comes to the knees, and give about the worst advice possible.
I've had to completely reconstruct all of my lower body movement patterns on my own, but over the course of a couple years, walking with a limp permanently has become the ability to do jump-switch single leg squats with virtually no pain.
Orthopedists the world over are thanking you in advance for the business.0 -
"I ran a mile today so I deserve this cheeseburger."
This!
And "if I'm craving [insert processed fast food rubbish here] it must mean my body needs it so I have it. Besides, if I don't then I will only binge on it later".
This is why you're fat.0 -
"There's nothing I can do about gaining weight & getting flabby. That's just part of getting older." My wife uses this one all the time.0
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Great post. Sums up most of my daily thoughts.I can't stand "muscle weighs more than fat" Drives me nuts. 1 pound = 1 pound regardless of what it is made of. Muscle is denser than fat so 1 pound of muscle takes up less space than 1 pound of fat!
Biggest pet peeve in excuses? "I'm scared" WTF is there to be scared of? Being fit, being thin, living longer?0 -
While I agree there are a lot of excuses out there, I have to add my 2 cents about squats.
Some people, myself included, have joint problems. I can't squat without having popping, grinding, and pinch-like pains in my knees, so, I don't squat because I don't want to injure myself. I'm not exceptionally heavy, just 15 pounds overweight, but the joint problems are something I've had my whole life, even as a teenager. Not everyone is made the same, and for whatever reason, some people's joints just can't handle strain like that.
Heck, lately at the gym I've been doing the over-head shoulder press weight machine, I do it on 20 pounds (which is next to nothing) but that's all I can do without causing myself pain. I get popping and grinding in my shoulders with 20 pounds, but if I bump up to 30 I get popping, grinding, and stabbing pains. My hope is that if I keep at it at 20 pounds whatever is messed up in there will set itself right and I can bump it up some more.
Also, just to further prove a point about how everyone's body is different - I fell down the stairs a few years ago and got a very serious foot injury. It didn't break, but the bone on the front of my foot on par where my ankle is (cuboid I think) popped out and back in causing some tearing. My doctor gave me bad advice and said it would heal on it's own with no physical therapy. Years later I still have problems with it and they makes no sense. For instance: The elliptical's motion will eventually cause a pinching and "out of place" pain in my ankle that will last for days... the arc trainer doesn't. Why? I have no idea, they're similar, I even get more resistance with the arc, but the very slight difference in motion is what makes it so that I can do 30 minutes on the arc on hill intervals whereas after 10 minutes on the elliptical's lowest manual setting I have issues. I can walk down the street just fine, and usually I can jog a little, but if I walk on a treadmill it hurts and takes days to heal. Why? It doesn't make much sense, but the very minor changes in impact and range of motion have major influences on how my foot handles certain exercises.
So, it's sort of a peeve of mine when people act like they understand everyone's anatomy perfectly. If everyone was a perfect model human that would be one thing, but each of us has life experience and often injuries that impact how our bodies handle various activities, even when outwardly we all look the same.0 -
"I can't lose weight because I'm not eating enough calories...and going into starvation mode". I think most of the time this ISNT true.0
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"I don't have time. I have to work an 8 hour job, cook dinner, and be a mom to a 2-year old."
Sorry if I offer you cheese to go with that wine, but my coworker works a 12 hour job, has 4 boys, and is pregnant with her 5th and still MAKES time to stay fit and healthy. So your excuse is invalid! Get up and move your buns!0 -
I am BIG boned and genetically challenged...
I have learned that my big bones are surrounded by fat. That makes them look even bigger...0 -
"I'm too stressed to go to the gym." Excercise is probably one of the best things you can do for stress. -facepalm-
Agreed!! Going to the gym/playing volleyball is how I destress from a day of work and a 3 yr old!0 -
Many people actually did listen to the advice to suck it up and deal with the pain
The only time I can think of to "suck it up and deal with the pain" is when I did a really hard workout and my muscles are sore. If I feel as though ANY of my joints are going to blow apart when doing an activity I typically err on the side of caution and stop.
I really hope you're not a physical therapist because I'd run far away if you told me to "suck it up and deal with the pain".0 -
"I can't squat because of bad knees."
and the most annoying cop out
"I don't have time to exercise"0 -
"Its genetics"
No, its really not. My entire family is overweight/unhealthy, and I am an athlete. It's not genetics, its sh***y lifestyle choices.
Oh, and "I hate eating vegetables/I'm a super picky eater"
Really? I hate paying my bills, yet I still do it, because I am an adult, not a 5 year old0 -
"Why are you taking protein powder? That's going to make you gain weight."
"Wahhhhh I gained 5 pounds since last Friday and I didn't do anything different except eat out every night this weekend..... it must be muscle."
Women: "I would lift weights but I don't want to be big like those female body builders. Just toned and sexy."
"What's a good workout to target fat in *insert specific area*?"
"I ran a mile today so I deserve this cheeseburger."
I agree with all of these!0 -
"Women just aren't meant to run except for the really skinny ones that are built like men."- my mother after I told her about my foot injury. :laugh: :noway: :laugh:
I'm going to run no matter how many little injuries I get here and there.0 -
You must lift heavy to look good naked, build muscle, improve strength and/or improve body composition.
Bodyweight won't achieve the result listed above.
More than 30 min of cardio is a waste of time.
Low weights and high reps are a waste of time.0 -
you have to die of something
Yes, this is irritating.0 -
I can't stand "muscle weighs more than fat" Drives me nuts. 1 pound = 1 pound regardless of what it is made of. Muscle is denser than fat so 1 pound of muscle takes up less space than 1 pound of fat!
This is what Thin people say to Fat people just to make them feel better for not losing weight when they have been working hard, lol. I get that all the time and I just let it go when they say it, I know I didn't push myself as hard as I did the week before when I lost.0 -
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The only time I can think of to "suck it up and deal with the pain" is when I did a really hard workout and my muscles are sore. If I feel as though ANY of my joints are going to blow apart when doing an activity I typically err on the side of caution and stop.
...
When my muscles are sore from a hard workout .. I poke at them all day. I dunno. I like that pain.
You have to analyze your pain. Feel it, experience it .. I ask my boys (14 & 16 yrs aol, hockey and lacrosse players) "Are you hurt or are you injured?" If you're not injured, then suck it up and get out there for your next shift.0 -
"It's my genes" or "I have a thyroid issue". The later only bothers me when the person saying it can only name weight issues as a side effect of their "thyroid" problem. Oh, and people that don't understand how metabolism works.0
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"I have a bad knee and my doctor says I'll never be able to run."
This is probably true for a small percentage of the population, but I think it's an excuse that people use because they don't LIKE running. I think that with the proper shoes, running surface, and training program (i.e., not starting out too fast or too far), most people can work some running into their lives.
P.S. I loathe running...but I do it a couple of times a week for the health benefits. And I have a bad knee.0 -
I will gain weight if I eat more than a bird! (700, 800, 1200 cals)
I don't have time to workout, OR eat well
I want to "tone" I don't want to get "bulky"!
It's too hard
I didn't realize I binged until it was over! (Maybe true, and I just don't understand the psychology, but it's creepy to hear)
I have to give up EVERYTHING tasty to be healthy.0 -
You must lift heavy to look good naked, build muscle, improve strength and/or improve body composition.
Bodyweight won't achieve the result listed above.
More than 30 min of cardio is a waste of time.
Low weights and high reps are a waste of time.
Wait - my trainer told me less than 30 minutes of cardio was a waste of time, because you dont REALLY start burning anything until then. I guess we should only do exactly 30 minutes of cardio.0 -
Put the 2 year old in a stroller and run with him/her. Make daddy cook dinner for once."I don't have time. I have to work an 8 hour job, cook dinner, and be a mom to a 2-year old."
Sorry if I offer you cheese to go with that wine, but my coworker works a 12 hour job, has 4 boys, and is pregnant with her 5th and still MAKES time to stay fit and healthy. So your excuse is invalid! Get up and move your buns!0 -
def " if I lift weights i'll get bulky"....soooo annoying!!! women you will not get bulky!! we don't have the genetic makeup or testosterone to get bulky!
& I don't have time0 -
If you stop working out, muscle will turn to fat.
No, if you stop working out, your muscles will shrink and your fat will replace them.0 -
Special snowflake syndrome0
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I can't stand "muscle weighs more than fat" Drives me nuts. 1 pound = 1 pound regardless of what it is made of. Muscle is denser than fat so 1 pound of muscle takes up less space than 1 pound of fat!
Biggest pet peeve in excuses? "I'm scared" WTF is there to be scared of? Being fit, being thin, living longer?
Pretty much anyone who says this is referring to the density of 1Lb of fat vs 1 Lb of muscle and muscle displacing fat by volume...I don't know anybody who actually believes 1 Lb of muscle actually weighs more than 1 Lb of fat. Do you really think there are all kinds of people thinking that 1 Lb isn't a 1 Lb?
No I don't actually believe people thinks it's true. It's just an incorrect statement the way most people use it and I find it irritating. Kind of the same way I get irritated when someone wants to "axe" me a question.0 -
I can't stand "muscle weighs more than fat" Drives me nuts. 1 pound = 1 pound regardless of what it is made of. Muscle is denser than fat so 1 pound of muscle takes up less space than 1 pound of fat!
Biggest pet peeve in excuses? "I'm scared" WTF is there to be scared of? Being fit, being thin, living longer?
But muscle does weigh more than fat. If you took the same volume of each, muscle would weigh more.0 -
The whole big-boned/genetics thing really drives me crazy. The reason it bothers me so much is because I think most people who say it genuinely believe it and really don't think it is possible for them to be legitimately thin/in shape, which really hinders progress. Take a look at most of the contestants who have won or been really successful on the Biggest Loser. Most of them start out looking "big boned" or like they have a really stocky frame and they still end up looking thin and muscular.0
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Oh, and "I hate eating vegetables/I'm a super picky eater"
Really? I hate paying my bills, yet I still do it, because I am an adult, not a 5 year old
^^^^This!0
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