Fitness – Common Misconceptions 1/11/15

Fitness is incredibly important for all people – whether you’re a housewife, a police officer, a soldier, or mechanic. Your health should be of the utmost priority. You’re life depends on it! You certainly can’t take care of yourself or your loved ones, let alone protect them, if you are unhealthy. Your body needs to be able to perform at its highest level at any given moment. You’re life depends on it! Here are 5 common misconceptions about fitness, and some easy rules to follow to help you become the best version of yourself you can be.

Forget the gimmicks – The fitness industry thrives on new fads and trends. Anyone will buy literally anything – powders, pills, magic potions – that they think will improve their health and fitness. The truth is, most of that is snake oil. While there are many supplements that help improve your health, they do not replace hard work. Supplements, if at all, should be used to do just that –supplement a healthy diet & workout routine.

You don’t need fancy – Now a days, it seems like there’s a hot new gym in just about every town. Many offer “free personal training” and the “latest and greatest” equipment. These mega gyms, much like giant box stores, are often deeply discounted. But with that discount, you often miss out on a meaningful experience. Working out is a deeply personal activity for many people, as sometimes you are pushing yourself out of a comfort zone. While you certainly don’t need someone holding your hand and babying you, it’s a much better experience to have a coach, trainer, or partner there to help guide you down the right path and encourage you. You lose that one on one connection when you are simply another contract.

Start slow – Many work outs stress getting in as many reps as possible in the allotted time, or using the heaviest weights that you can. For beginners, and even those who are already active, this can be very dangerous. You should always make sure you warm yourself up properly with stretching and light exercise before really starting your workout. Also, there’s no reason for any work out to last longer than an hour to an hour and a half. Stretching and a light warm up should last roughly ten to fifteen minutes with the majority of your workout taking 45 minutes to an hour, followed by a light cool down. By pushing yourself to work out hard for an extended period of time, just to hit your reps, you lose form, technique, and gain muscle fatigue and sometimes injury.

Fuel your body properly – “I worked out today, so I can eat whatever I want!” Have you heard someone say that, or maybe you’ve said that yourself? You should certainly reward yourself for a job well done, but you also need to fuel your body properly for the work your making it do. You wouldn’t run your car on empty, or put something in the gas tank just because it was more convenient than the proper fuel. Lean proteins, fresh veggies, whole grains, and natural healthy fats and oils are essential to a healthy, functional body. Don’t skip out on meals, and don’t over indulge! Find a healthy balance.

And the number one rule…

PATIENCE – There is no quick fix. No one, even someone who might already be in great shape, sees results overnight. Being functionally fit takes time, dedication, and lots of hard work. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort if you want to achieve your goals. Stop comparing yourself to fitness models, actors, and the hottest people online. You need only to compare yourself to the vision of yourself that you want to achieve. Fitness should be used to help build self-confidence, not used to measure sex appeal. Once you stop making excuses and dedicate yourself to being the best you can be, the hard work will become fun!

-Senpai Sanchez