Growing up we were all exposed to health and fitness myths that stuck with us. Unfortunately, some of these myths resulted in poor health and fitness habits, that inhibit results. Check out these common health and fitness myths that may be impacting you!
- THE LONGER YOU EXERCISE,THE BETTER YOUR RESULTS Many people think that the longer they exercise, the more weight they will lose. The reality is that in most cases, the more you exercise, the more you stimulate your body to burn fat. That’s good, but it also increases production of a hormone called cortisol, which often causes your body to store more fat as fuel for the next time you work out. The key to optimizing weight loss is to exercise for approximately 45 minutes per session. If you want to exercise more during a day, that’s ok, but divide up your workouts so you only work out for 45 minutes at a time. (For example, work out for 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes at night.) That’s what the pros do to lose weight fast.
- NO PAIN NO GAIN So, what’s the general rule? If you have any pain that is sharp, stabbing, or causes numbness, talk to your doctor immediately. If you have pain that lasts longer than two days and is dull or aching, talk to your doctor. That said, most pain can be controlled while you exercise; if you keep that pain level below 50 percent of what you think is the worst pain possible, you are likely not hurting yourself. That’s important because inactivity doesn’t usually help; most chronic conditions are made worse if you don’t stimulate circulation in the affected area. For example, a major cause of chronic lower back pain is poor circulation; chiropractic manipulation and simple exercises help provide and restore normal function and circulation to the affected area. If you don’t use it, you will lose it.
- YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AFRAID OF A LITTLE CORN SYRUP Is corn syrup safe? The American Society Nephrology’s 42nd annual meeting featured a paper that suggests high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has a direct effect on hypertension (high blood pressure). In addition, there seems to be a link between obesity and HFCS. A study from the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center reviewed 4,528 adults with no history of hypertension who were 74 grams of HFCS per day (about 2.5 soft drinks per day). In all cases, blood pressure increased, mostly due to weight gain. It is getting so bad that the University of Florida has proposed a “Fructose Index” to better assess the risk of carbohydrates and their relationship to obesity. The biggest problem is related to the way the body absorbs and stores the sugars from HFCS. Most sugars require insulin, but HFCS is passively absorbed as soon as it enters the digestive tract. If you are not burning energy at a high rate, your body instantly starts converting the HFCS to fat, bypassing the liver in the fat production process. Table sugar (sucrose) is made up of glucose (normal blood sugar) and fructose; for years it has been the content of fructose that many experts have pointed to as a concern. So, in this case you should be afraid of a little corn. In fact, run away from it, keep your children away from it and us naturally occurring sweeteners instead. (This isn’t an easy task, I know; next time you’re in the grocery store, read some labels and see how many foods contain corn syrup / high-fructose corn syrup.)
Source: To Your Health –By: David Ryan, BS, DC