With a new year comes new goals, and on top of most people’s mind is to improve their health and fitness.
I’m sure you’re no different and would like to improve some areas of your health as well.
Thing is, there is so much confusing and conflicting information out there, you probably aren’t sure where to start.
So before you get started on your journey, I wanted to share with you a few health and fitness myths you can avoid and increase your chances of success this year and beyond.
Debunking 5 Health & Fitness Myths
You Have to Drink a Gallon of Water Everyday
FALSE!
Drinking a gallon of water everyday is not only unnecessary, it can actually do more harm than good. When you drink too much water, you can flush out important vitamins and minerals your body needs to function.
The 8×8 recommendation (8 glasses of water, 8 times a day) is also outdated and unspecific to you.
Here’s what you do instead: Divide your weight by 2 and that is how much water in ounces you should be drinking everyday. If yours happens to be a gallon, then you can work your way up and once you lose weight the amount of water your body needs will decrease as well.
If you’ve been drinking a gallon of water a day, I give you permission to stop and start drinking the amount that is specific to you and your needs based on your body’s composition.
If you need some motivation to increase your water intake, watch How I Reach My Daily Water Goals.
You Have to do 1hr of Cardio Every day to Lose Weight
FALSE!
Again, as I’ve said before, working out is not necessary for weight loss.
It is a form of physical activity that should be utilized for well-being instead.
So, when we think about it in those terms, you can do as little as 10-45 minutes 3x a week. That’s it!
There’s no need to kill yourself working out everyday, especially if you’re not accompanying it with balanced eating. So again, I’m giving you permission to reduce the number of times you workout for a more sustainable form of movement.
Take it from me, a former top performing athlete, nationally qualified bodybuilder who used to workout multiple times a day, and now I only move 2-3x a week, if that and maintain 5-10lbs of my high school weight.
My movement now only consists of walking, Yoga and Pilates.
If you need more convincing, check out Why Working Out is NOT the Answer.
Counting Calories is a Good Tool for Long-term Weight Loss
FALSE!
While counting calories may help some people lose weight in the short term, let’s be honest, nobody likes or has time to count calories every day for an extended period of time which is why it’s not a sustainable tool for long term weight loss.
In fact, most people that have counted calories in the past were unmotivated or discouraged to continue because they found it too confusing and dreadful.
What’s a better way?
Keep a food journal instead so you can start to take notice how foods are making you feel versus the number of calories.
This is the best way to track your food for long term weight loss because you’ll begin to identify what foods you should eliminate and what nutrients you’re missing that could be sabotaging your weight loss.
Eating at Night Makes You Gain Weight
FALSE!
This is a common misconception but partially true.
It all depends on what you’re eating, not the time that is making you gain weight.
Obviously, you don’t want to be eating a 3-course meal every night before bed, but sometimes hunger strikes at night and it’s perfectly fine to curb those hunger pains and eat something.
So, if you find yourself having to eat at night, opt for something light and nutritious. Simple as that!
Being a Vegan is Healthier than Eating Meat
FALSE!
Sorry vegans, this is completely false.
Of course, there are ethical and environmental reasons to eat a more plant-based diet, but as I shared in 3 Reasons Why I’m Not Vegan, our ancestors ate meat. So again, it goes back to the quality, not the act of actually eating it.
It goes without saying that there are major benefits to eating a more plant based diet, but does that mean you should eliminate meat out of your diet completely? No.
In fact, if you’re not supplementing key vitamins and minerals found in meat, most notably Iron, into your vegan diet, you’re actually doing your body more harm than good.
So, before you dive headfirst into eating strictly vegan, make sure you do your research so you’re getting the proper nutrients your body needs to function properly.
That’s all I’m covering in today’s blog, but with SOOO much misinformation out there this is only the beginning.
So stay tuned for the next edition to make sure you’re not falling for these myths that can derail your success.
💚 Jen
