4 Weight Loss Myths That Can Do More Harm Than Good
There is no lack of advice on losing weight these days. Scan through any health oriented magazine and you’ll find at least one article on the new way to lose weight. The business of weight loss is booming and with so many dollars at stake the pressure to come up with new ideas is intense. Many of these ideas are good and can help you but there are some that don’t help at all and can even be harmful.
Here’s a list of 4 of the most common myths around weight loss:
1. You can do exercises to target one area for weight loss. This is false and it would be hard to find a doctor who would disagree with this. The idea that you can do sit-ups to lose weight around your middle is an appealing one but also wrong. Any exercise you do will help you burn calories faster but it’s a net loss of body fat and can’t be targeted at one area first. If you only do crunches in the hope of getting rid of those love handles you may doing harm by neglecting your overall fitness and only targeting one area. Follow a healthy diet and do an overall workout that will speed up your metabolism.
2. Cut calories back drastically to jump start your diet. This diet approach actually does more harm to your diet. After your fast is over, your body will stockpile fat in an effort to make up for the loss. This is one of our bodies survival strategies to get through periods of little or no food. Your metabolic rate slows down in order to conserve and muscle is burned instead of fat to keep reserves for energy.
3. Cardio exercises are the only way you can increase your metabolism. Almost any kind of exercise will help speed up your metabolism. Doing cardio is a proven way but studies have shown that aerobic exercise can increase your metabolic rate just as fast as doing cardio. Consider adding in weight lifting two or three times a week in addition to cardio or aerobics. You’ll gain strength and muscle mass and that means burning calories at a faster rate even while you’re at rest.
4. You can sweat the weight out. An intense workout will produce a short term drop in weight but the problem is, it’s only water weight. Sitting in a sauna or wearing a sweat suit to lose weight can be dangerous to your health and lead to loss of electrolytes as well as dehydration. A healthy weight loss program has no need of sweating excessively.
When it comes to losing weight, the only thing that you can really count on is that there will be a new ground breaking weight loss scheme coming along all the time. Stay informed and check with your doctor before starting any new weight loss program and you can protect yourself against bogus weight loss advice.
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