Archive for 2012-09-30
Is What You Know About Fitness All Wrong?
No one likes to be wrong. That's why it's so difficult even to consider the possibility of it. There's the old joke about the guy who says, "I made a mistake once. I thought I made a mistake, but I was wrong." For some of us it's not only difficult to admit error, it's downright torture. There are a few people I know who, as far as anyone can remember, have never, ever admitted to a mistake.
Where's this leading? We are continually assailed with advice about fitness. One of my earliest memories is of my mom telling me that the men at the service station used Coke (the soft drink, not the controlled substance) to de-grease nuts and bolts, so think about what it would do to my teeth. Yikes. She was wrong about the nuts and bolts, right about the sugar being bad for my teeth. What other fitness "truths" have we picked up along the way that are really and truly flat out wrong?
There isn't any harm in being wrong about a lot of things, but health and fitness mistakes can be costly and frustrating. For example, the idea that you can get toned through exercise alone is one that leads to failure and disillusionment every day. Good strength training and cardiovascular exercise can build muscle and burn calories, but this is not enough. Diet is a far more powerful way to trim excess fat and, in conjunction with the right exercise, give you a lean and hard body.
Another old but oh-so-wrong bit of classic fitness dreck is the one that says you get lean and toned by doing light weights and lots of reps, and a bulky, ape-like look using heavy weights and few reps. Doesn't work that way. Building strength and muscle mass is difficult to accomplish and requires working muscles to the point of almost-failure and eating a good, healthy diet.
So, rather than cling to those old, tried-and-proven-false fitness myths, do some research and get the facts. It's the age of information, so let's take advantage of that and update our database of knowledge.
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Where's this leading? We are continually assailed with advice about fitness. One of my earliest memories is of my mom telling me that the men at the service station used Coke (the soft drink, not the controlled substance) to de-grease nuts and bolts, so think about what it would do to my teeth. Yikes. She was wrong about the nuts and bolts, right about the sugar being bad for my teeth. What other fitness "truths" have we picked up along the way that are really and truly flat out wrong?
There isn't any harm in being wrong about a lot of things, but health and fitness mistakes can be costly and frustrating. For example, the idea that you can get toned through exercise alone is one that leads to failure and disillusionment every day. Good strength training and cardiovascular exercise can build muscle and burn calories, but this is not enough. Diet is a far more powerful way to trim excess fat and, in conjunction with the right exercise, give you a lean and hard body.
Another old but oh-so-wrong bit of classic fitness dreck is the one that says you get lean and toned by doing light weights and lots of reps, and a bulky, ape-like look using heavy weights and few reps. Doesn't work that way. Building strength and muscle mass is difficult to accomplish and requires working muscles to the point of almost-failure and eating a good, healthy diet.
So, rather than cling to those old, tried-and-proven-false fitness myths, do some research and get the facts. It's the age of information, so let's take advantage of that and update our database of knowledge.
Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for free email updates.
Wasting Money on Ineffective Weight Loss Products
How much filthy lucre have you spent so far this year on weight-loss products? It's difficult even to estimate, isn't it? Everything from the gym membership that you rarely use, to the Lean Cuisine frozen dinners, to the pills and supplements, to the miracle exercise gizmo you saw on an infomercial and now lives in a closet, the garage, or under your bed; that all counts.
The next question is obvious: Has any of it worked? We're not going to count the phantom loss of 3 pounds that turned out to come back like a boomerang in a week. We can only count significant weight loss that stayed off.
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Maybe you know better than to spend your money of ineffective products, but millions of Americans don't. Take a look at the graphic below...
It shows how many people (approximately, of course) are overweight worldwide, and how much money Americans have spent on weight loss. Both numbers are climbing at an alarming rate.
So, why do people continue to spend money on ineffective products? Several reasons. We're desperate. We hope the next one will work. We blame ourselves for failures instead of blaming the products. I say it's time to wise up and find a solution that's based on truth and evidence. That's what Lean and Hard (dot com) is focused on. What works. And it costs you nothing! So click on "subscribe" below to get your free email updates!
Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for free email updates.
The next question is obvious: Has any of it worked? We're not going to count the phantom loss of 3 pounds that turned out to come back like a boomerang in a week. We can only count significant weight loss that stayed off.
[Advertisement} Save 15% on amazingly tasty Gift ideas for all Occasions from 1800baskets.com! (valid until December 31, 2012) Use code 18BSAVE15
Maybe you know better than to spend your money of ineffective products, but millions of Americans don't. Take a look at the graphic below...
It shows how many people (approximately, of course) are overweight worldwide, and how much money Americans have spent on weight loss. Both numbers are climbing at an alarming rate.
So, why do people continue to spend money on ineffective products? Several reasons. We're desperate. We hope the next one will work. We blame ourselves for failures instead of blaming the products. I say it's time to wise up and find a solution that's based on truth and evidence. That's what Lean and Hard (dot com) is focused on. What works. And it costs you nothing! So click on "subscribe" below to get your free email updates!
Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for free email updates.
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