SEPERATING fact from fiction is an integral part of embarking on a life of fitness, or achieving your fitness goals, whatever the case may be. We are bombarded with all sorts of information, not all of them helpful, some just blatantly wrong.
Here are five random health and fitness facts to set things straight.
Doing sit-ups/crunches will not give you abs—This is something I repeatedly emphasize for all who care to listen. Doing sit-ups, crunches or any form of abdominal exercise alone will not trim your tummy or let alone give you a six-pack. Your ab muscles exist but are covered by body fat. The key to melting this layer of fat is through a calorie deficit that can be achieved through a combination of diet and exercise—but not through abdominal exercises alone.
You can get your protein from plants—Knowing that dietary protein is key to building muscle, we are all conscious about consuming adequate amounts of protein. The more well-known sources of protein are from meat, fish, eggs and dairy. However, for those who wish to shun animal protein for whatever purpose, plant-based protein sources also abound. Soy, nuts, beans, quionoa are excellent sources of muscle-building protein.
A can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar—On the average, your favorite can of non-sugar-free or non-diet soda contains a staggering 38 to 40 grams of sugar. And why is excessive sugar bad for you? Because it contains empty calories that may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. An occasional soda here and there may not be so bad, but when it becomes a habit, coupled with lack of physical activity, problems may arise.
Exercise boosts your energy—Feel tired? Exercise! While this may seem counter-intuitive, exercising will give us more energy rather than empty our batteries. This is because exercising trains the heart to work more efficiently, pumping more oxygen to our various organs. It also releases endorphins, or happy hormones—making us happy, and energetic.
There is no magic bullet that will make you lose weight—Weight loss is a top fitness objective for many of us. Given this, many products will offer you the perfect solution; a pill, a state-of-the-art exercise machine, a magical concoction and whatnot. Truth is, none of these will work on their own. Losing weight, shedding fat is all about falling into a caloric deficit on a regular basis. This means eating less food than the energy that we expend. The magic lies in the hard work, discipline, consistency and grit that we have to exhibit to achieve our respective fitness goals.
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