MYTHS
AND FACTS
Muscle weighs more
then fat
FALSE
One pound of muscle
weighs the same as one pound of fat. Remember the old
story;
if you take one-pound of feathers and one pound
of bricks and drop them from a roof, which would hit the
ground first? They land at the same time. However, the
differences between one pound of muscle and one pound of
fat is that one pound of muscle takes up by 13-18%
less mass then the pound of fat. That is why when you
build up muscle where fat once was you look learner.
Also, one pound of muscle will add 30 to 50 pounds a day
to your metabolic rate.
The fitter you are,
the harder you have
to work TRUE
Basically
that means what gave you improvement in the past will
only help you maintain your fitness in the future. You
can work harder in many ways; length of time, intensity,
frequency, trying a different form of exercise, (e.g.)
Pilates, try a new sport or activity, martial arts,
swimming, or higher intensity aerobics.
I can spot reduce a part of my body
FALSE
Unfortunately when your
body uses fat for energy it takes it from everywhere;
your stomach area, arms, face, etc. When you are targeting a specific body part you are working
the specific muscles and are helping to shape those
muscles. But you are not removing fat only from that
area.
Protein builds muscle
FALSE
Exercise
builds muscle. Protein is used to help repair the damage
to the muscle from exercise or over exertion.
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I
can help protect my back from injuries by strengthening
my stomach muscles
TRUE
However,
if you truly want to protect your back from injuries,
you should work your back muscles. Think of your abs as
a support system, not the main system in terms of back
care.
You
can replace fat with muscle
FALSE
Fat and muscle are two different entities. You cannot
replace one with the other.
When you stop
exercising your muscle turns to fat FALSE
Once you stop exercising
your muscles atrophies (shrink). The muscle loses
volume, strength and tone. If you stopped exercising
your eating habits probably will not be as healthy, so
you may experience weight gain (body fat), thus giving
the illusion that the muscle is changing to fat.
The older you are the
less exercise you need FALSE
As
we get older our needs for specific types of exercise
may change. A
person may want to focus more on balance work to
minimize falling versus more aerobics.
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Heart
rate is widely accepted as a good method for measuring
intensity during running, swimming, cycling and other
aerobic activities. Exercise that doesn't raise your
heart rate to a certain level and keep it there for
20 minutes won't contribute significantly to cardiovascular
fitness.
