Myth bustin'!

1. There is NO such thing as spot reduction, meaning you cannot and will never be able to lose weight off certain areas of your body eg. doing sit ups will not help you loose weight in the abdominal region - only cardio and a healthy diet will do this. You can't pick and choose the areas where you want to loose fat 
2. Doing weights doesn't burn as many calories as cardio - FALSE. Weight training can burn up to as many and in my case usually even more calories than doing cardio. I say this because my cardio exercises are usually no where near as intense as when I'm weight lifting. After you've done weights you're still using energy and thus burning calories at rest, whereas as soon as you stop doing cardio, your heart rate slows down and you stop burning calories. You burn calories at rest after weights because your body is working hard to repair any tissue it has damaged, essentially building muscle. Metabolism increases in your bod after cardio only last from about 30-60 minutes, whereas post weight training metabolism increases for up to 48 hours!
3. You should always stretch before a work out? - No, not necessarily. Surprisingly enough it's been scientifically proven that stretching before a workout can weaken the muscle by 30% and this reduced tension could potentially increase the risk of injury. Warm up before an intense workout eg. going for a walk before cardio or light weights before intense training and then stretch after the workout. Never have I stretched before a work out and I've never been injured either!
4. You'll work out better or burn more fat on an empty stomach - Far from true. Working out on an empty stomach burns more muscle and who wants that?! Also, if you're working out before breakfast or on an empty stomach you don't have sufficient nutrients in your bod which won't allow you to perform your best during a work out.
5. Protein shakes will make me a rig - NAY. I'm sorry to break it to ya lads, but according to the Better Health Channel, people taking supplementary protein while weight training add no more muscle than those not taking protein supplements. I see why this is a common myth though, because from a biological point of view, protein is broken down through digestion into amino acids which are used for making specific structures  such as muscle. But, excess protein intake can actually put strain on your kidneys and liver which obviously, in the long run, is not a positive thing. A healthy, well balanced diet is all you need. 
6. Chocolate is bad for your skin - FALSE (and what a lovely myth this is). There's never been any scientific proof that chocolate causes pimples or acne. Your genetics determine the skin you're born with and how it functions as well as the hormones in your body. Hormones are predominately testosterone which makes your skin increase it's oil production thus potentially making your pores more blocked causing pimples - not chocolate! (credit to Sez)
7. MYTHS ABOUT CARBS - dedicating a whole section to this because it grinds my gears when I hear of people depriving themselves of carbs when it should be an essential part of any diet.
   - A carb free diet will help you loose weight and keep it off: Yes, you'll initially loose weight after cutting out carbs, but when you bring them back into your diet (even if it's only a little) you'll gain it all back on and more. If you deprive yourself of carbs your body will call out to you and you'll crave them - they are your main source of energy. If you want to cut carbs out of your diet, make it a life time commitment or else you'll just chuck the weight all back on.
   - Eating carbs at night or in the evening will cause weight gain: I see why people think this is true because if we don't use the energy we get from carbs, yes it will be stored as fat BUT it does not convert over night. Weight gain is all about energy intake and out take, there has been no evidence that this is in any way dependent on the time of the day. Our bodies are smarter than that, whether it's the first thing in the morning or last thing at night our bodies will process, digest and store carbs in the same way.
   - All carbohydrates are bad: False...there are 'healthy carbohydrates' including whole grain breads and pastas, beans, spinach, broccoli, legumes and greens.
   - Less carbs is better for me: Nope. A lack of carbohydrates can cause constipation, dizziness, headaches fainting, muscle aches and fatigue - making it even more challenging to work out.
   - Moderate to high carb diets = fat: The Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the whole world, they are also typically slim, slender and lean AND their diets are extremely high in carbs. Eat up! 
8. Cold weather makes you sick - MYTH 
9. Vegetarians don't get enough protein in their diets - MYTH, not all protein is found in meat products. A lot of people who are vegetarian will get their protein from legumes, soy products eg. tofu, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds etc. 
10. MYTHS JUST FOR THE LADIES
    - Lifting weights causes bulky muscles: No, don't worry you won't gain a body builders physique, turn into a butch or look manly if you start lifting weights. Truth is, females don't have enough testosterone to increase muscle size the way that men do as well as naturally having much smaller muscle fibres than men do.
    - Weight loss requires more cardio and less strength training: When it comes to weight loss, cardio and strength training are both essential. Balance is the key
    
    
    
    Any questions please message me on http://www.facebook.com/elpithaa, I'm always more than happy to help - doesn't matter who you are. xxxx