Okay, so is this just made up?

Options
Livi_Loves_Pink
Livi_Loves_Pink Posts: 754
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been dealing with two weight loss 'facts' for a few years, but never thought to actually find out if they are true. The logical side of me has just brushed them aside, but there is still a nagging voice that says "Well what if they are true??"

The first one is: if you sit down right after working out your fat will settle, so you have to go for a walk or at least stay standing after exercising. :huh: This was told to me by a friend's mom when I was like 14, and even then I thought it was a little absurd, but it still nags at me!

The other is: if you don't propperly hold in your stomach muscles while doing abs exercises your stomach will just buldge more. I think this started after seeing an infomercial for an abs machine of some sort "Sit-ups and crunches just make your stomach bigger. So buy our wonder product!" :embarassed: I admit it's silly to be affected by an infomercial, cause the entire goal of it is to sell a product. But give me a break, I was at an impressionable age! :laugh:

So can someone please ease my mind? :ohwell:

Replies

  • Livi_Loves_Pink
    Livi_Loves_Pink Posts: 754
    Options
    I have been dealing with two weight loss 'facts' for a few years, but never thought to actually find out if they are true. The logical side of me has just brushed them aside, but there is still a nagging voice that says "Well what if they are true??"

    The first one is: if you sit down right after working out your fat will settle, so you have to go for a walk or at least stay standing after exercising. :huh: This was told to me by a friend's mom when I was like 14, and even then I thought it was a little absurd, but it still nags at me!

    The other is: if you don't propperly hold in your stomach muscles while doing abs exercises your stomach will just buldge more. I think this started after seeing an infomercial for an abs machine of some sort "Sit-ups and crunches just make your stomach bigger. So buy our wonder product!" :embarassed: I admit it's silly to be affected by an infomercial, cause the entire goal of it is to sell a product. But give me a break, I was at an impressionable age! :laugh:

    So can someone please ease my mind? :ohwell:
  • 1harleygal
    1harleygal Posts: 226 Member
    Options
    :smile: Ok, yes you need to suck in your stomach while excercising because it helps protect your lower back and it strengthens your stomach core muscles which tightens them giving you a flatter stomach!

    I have never heard about if you sit down after excercising thing, I think that is just bogus because you sit down to do some excercises so that just wouldn't make any sense!:smile:
  • Livi_Loves_Pink
    Livi_Loves_Pink Posts: 754
    Options
    :smile: Ok, yes you need to suck in your stomach while excercising because it helps protect your lower back and it strengthens your stomach core muscles which tightens them giving you a flatter stomach!

    I knew about keeping my core tight to protect my back, and always tighten my stomach muscles durring exercise (and infact it's become a habit to keep my core tight all day to help with my posture), but what nags at me I guess is the thought that I'm not holding them in correctly :huh: and so when I do crunches and such my stomach is going to get bigger. I know I'm silly! I have many irrational fears. :laugh:
  • dancegirl1
    dancegirl1 Posts: 30
    Options
    The first one - about sitting after working out is kinda right...haha...kinda. Its not good to sit down after a work out because of your muscles - lactic acid will build up which will just make you sore...but it has nothing to do with fat settling.

    The second one is not entirely right, but its not wrong either. There are certian ab workouts that do in fact bulk - you can see this in men with six packs...their stomachs bulge a bit. But they are doing intense ab stuff...like leg throw downs and whatnot
    Some important things to remember when doing abs is to...
    -think of your belly button "touching" your spine
    -exhale when engaging the abs (while coming up on crunches)
    -strech after each set - it helps to elongate rather than "bunch" the muscles
    ...and thats all I can think of for now.

    (-:
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    Options
    Both are myths.

    It IS a good idea to bring your heart rate down gradually after working out, but NOT because fat is going to settle :laugh: It's a good idea to bring it down gradually to prevent blood pooling, which can cause dizziness or passing out.

    As for abs... if you want to strengthen them you do need to practice that tucking motion... think about trying to draw the bellybutton down to the floor, get a nice straight spine and try to avoid any bowing of the lower back. However, not doing that is not going to result in a bigger tummy, what it could result in, though, is lower back pain and/or injury.

    So, both of those things are things that should be done, just not for the reasons you were told.
  • froggirl
    froggirl Posts: 35
    Options
    That first one reminded me of my boyfriend's logic. He's overweight and he blamed his belly on the way his recliner is made. He said it was making all his fat settle in his gut. I laughed so hard I cried.
  • Livi_Loves_Pink
    Livi_Loves_Pink Posts: 754
    Options
    Thanks a bunch guys! This has helped. =)

    One more thing...I know that it's best to do a cardio workout for 20 minutes or more straight, but if taking a 5 to 10 minute break (consisting of general pacing and such, not sitting down) after 15 means that I can come back and do 15-20 more it is better to take the break then to only do 20 minutes total right?
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    Options
    So, you want to know if you'll get the same effect if you do your workout straight through as opposed to in segments???

    The jury is really still out on that, depending on which organization you get your facts from.

    There are some that say doing 30 minutes total throughout the day (10 minutes here, 10 there, etc.) has the same effect as doing the 30 minutes straight... but other organizations disagree with that statement.

    Based on my studies, my personal opinion is that doing it as a single session is better because then you get:
    A.) Proper time to warm-up and cool-down
    B.) More time in your target heart rate zone
    B.) Better heart and lung conditioning
  • pettmybunny
    pettmybunny Posts: 1,986 Member
    Options
    I like doing mine in one segment too, but if time or fitness level or health reasons prevent you from doing one workout session, I would think that several shorter ones would be better than none.

Categories