3 exercise and fat myths

Myth 1: “I don’t lift weights − I don’t want to look like a body builder”

Women don’t have the physiology to build big muscles without dedicated and extreme diet and strength work. Conversely, correct strength training improves posture and tone, increases metabolism and self-confidence, allows for faster recovery from childbirth, and reduces the risk of diabetes and osteoporosis.

Myth 2: “Long, slow aerobic exercise will burn more fat”

The purpose of all exercise is to get your body outside its comfort zone so it has to adapt and improve. Long, slow aerobic exercise will not achieve that goal. The most effective aerobic exercise for weight loss is high-intensity interval training such as sprints, as it challenges the body and encourages a longer increase of metabolic rate.

Myth 3: “Eating fat will make you fat”

Dietary fat has long been touted as the bad guy, but research shows this is not the case. Sugar is a more dangerous foe, as it increases the body’s insulin response, resulting in a blood sugar drop and thus hunger and cravings in the short term, and increased central adiposity (body fat around the torso) in the long term. So we should shift our focus away from avoiding fat to avoiding processed foods.