4 Exercise Myths That Keep You Fat

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by Braxton A. Cosby

There are a few exercise myths that many of us believe will make us look better. If you hate the way you look in a swimsuit, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the weather is colder and you don’t have to worry about how you look on the beach. The bad news is that the winter is ahead, and so are the holidays, which means you will be covering up that body and probably gaining weight at the same time. So, as usual, I’m here to help – AGAIN. Time to debunk some of those common exercise myths. Today, I am running my mouth and spitting out the facts on fitness and exercise myths that may be making and/or keeping fat on you.

 
Debunked Exercise Myths #1: Doing crunches or working on an “ab machine” will get rid of belly fat.

Don’t we wish it was that easy? Think about it. Everyone would be walking around with a six pack if that were true. Unfortunately, the people sporting six-pack abs are a small minority. Don’t believe me? Look around at the people in your house, neighborhood, or even who you work with at your job. How many of them are sporting a washboard stomach?

Do not believe everything you hear on those late-night infomercials! While an ab-crunching device or simple crunches might “help strengthen the muscles around your midsection and improve your posture,” being able to “see” your abdominal muscles has to do with your overall percentage of body fat. If you don’t lose the belly fat, he says, you won’t see the ab muscles. Leaning out is the best strategy to getting it done. Continuing to focus on exercise without eating properly will condemn you to a ‘kegger’ stomach rather than the coveted six- or eight-pack.

 
Debunked Exercise Myths #2: Swimming is a great weight loss activity. Yeah, it is. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to drown the fat from your body by lapping the pool.

Yes, while swimming is great for increasing lung capacity, endurance, coordination, muscle control, increasing muscle tone, and even helping release some unwanted stress, unless you are swimming for hours a day, it may not help you lose much weight at all.