Starting A Workout Routine? Don’t Buy Into These Common Misconceptions
Although cosmetic procedures are a reliable method for slimming stubborn areas of fat that won’t budge, remember that traditional exercise is still important for your overall wellbeing. For anyone considering body contouring surgery, such as liposuction, the St. Louis-based physicians at West County Plastic Surgeons of Washington University explain that any amount of regular physical activity that you can add to your day not only improves weight loss, but allows you to reduce your risk of serious illnesses like heart disease and diabetes, makes you feel better emotionally, helps you to sleep better, and boosts your energy levels.
Still, let’s be honest: Maintaining a fitness routine during the winter is tough on most of us, especially for those who enjoy the outdoors.
It’s much easier to go out and exercise when the weather warms up, which is why many people get passionately involved in being active—whether with sports or gym workouts—when temperatures are higher. So if you’ve been thinking it’s the right moment for you to begin exercising to get healthier or to lose weight and look more toned, spring is an ideal time to start.
For people who are completely new to exercise, it can be difficult knowing how to begin, and there are so many opinions out there that you may not know for sure what’s true or false. Having a better understanding of fitness will make your workouts safer and put you on track for getting better results—an important aspect of body contouring—so here are five common fitness myths debunked:
1. Spot Reduction is a Thing
Think you can get a flat belly just by doing tons of crunches and sit-ups? Sadly, it won’t work. Targeted fat loss or spot reduction is a theory that you can control fat loss in isolated body areas like the belly, thighs, upper arms, or waistline just by focusing on them during workouts. Unfortunately, while it would be great if it were true, there’s no scientific proof to back this belief up, especially since fat distribution is determined significantly by your genes. Exercise can help you manage overall body fat, but cosmetic body contouring treatments are more appropriate for focusing on a specific bulge.
2. You Always Need to Eat Before Working Out
The truth is that you don’t actually need to eat a small meal any time you’re planning to go for a run, especially if doing so makes you feel stuffed or nauseous. Instead, it’s perfectly safe to wait for several hours after eating before exercising. Just remember to stay hydrated and try to avoid leaving yourself with low blood sugar levels that can make you feel ill.
3. Lifting Weights Makes Women Look Like Bodybuilders
It’s common for women to stick to lighter dumbbells because they fear bulking up, but it would take a lot more than a few strength training workouts each week to make the average woman get huge muscles. Moderate strength training will simply make your muscles more defined and has numerous other benefits, such as sculpting your body shape, improving flexibility, and reducing the risk of injury, so don’t be afraid of lifting heavier weights—safely, of course.
4. Fat or Muscle Could Turn into Each Other
There’s a widespread fear that if you quit working out for a while, the muscles you’ve toned could turn into wobbly fat. There’s no need to worry about that at all. If you’ve gained weight and lost muscle mass, it can certainly seem like a transformation happened, but fat and muscle are two completely different things that can’t change into each other.
5. No Pain, No Gain
While it’s true that more challenging workouts could be exactly what you need to get past a weight-loss plateau, feeling “the burn” after a workout actually doesn’t necessarily indicate that you’ve just had an excellent session. Some discomfort is normal, but if you’re in actual pain, stop what you’re doing and seek professional medical advice. Continuing to exert yourself with an injury can cause the problem to get worse.
Once you’ve achieved your health goals, if you want to learn more about liposuction from the St. Louis-based physicians at West County Plastic Surgeons of Washington University, call (314) 996-8800 or submit a contact form online.