5 Fitness Rules You Should Break Fitness rule #1: Cardio is King. What youve been told: If you exercise to lose weight, cardio is the best way to go. Why you should break it: Cardio is a great way to burn calories (especially if the workout is really intense). The only problem: Your body gets efficient at your workout, and you eventually start burning fewer calories than when you began. And if you spend all your time running and biking (while skipping your weight training workouts), the repetitive actions could cause stress and strain on your weakening muscles. What you should try: Weightlifting. Research suggests it can burn as many calories as a high-intensity workout like spinning. On top of that, experts believe that building muscle can boost your metabolism. So mix up your cardio and weight workouts. Youll stay stimulated, and youll burn more calories, faster. Fitness rule #2: Dont stop between sets. What youve been told: You shouldnt rest between weightlifting or cardio sets because it will decrease the amount of calories you burn. Why you should break it: While you shouldnt wait too long between sets if you want to see results, its important to give your muscles time to recover. It will also prevent injury, help you maintain good form and allow you to give it your all upon your next set. What you should try: Instead of consistently rushing from one activity to another, try one set of exercises back to back that work the same muscle groups or opposing muscle groups, then take a minute to recover. For example, to work the same muscle groups, try 10 pushups followed by 10 tricep dips; to work opposing muscle groups, try 10 back rows followed by 10 chest presses. Fitness rule #3: Any workout is better than no workout. What youve been told: As long as youre getting some physical activity, youll stave off heart disease and dozens of other conditions like arthritis and cancer, and burn calories while youre at it. Why you should break it: Any movement is better than none, but not all physical activities give you the level of exercise sufficient for optimal health benefits. What you should try: Intersperse the days you do low-impact activities (like pulling weeds or tidying up the house) with days you try higher-intensity workouts (like running or power walking). By mixing up the types of activities (and including workouts that raise your heart rate), your risk of heart disease will decrease, and your fitness level will improve. Fitness rule #4: Do crunches to get a six-pack. What youve been told: If you do enough crunches, youll achieve washboard abs. Why you should break it: Unless you include cardio and other core training exercises in your workout routine, simply doing crunches wont do the trick. What you should try: If you want tight, toned abs, you need to work them from every angle (the sides, your lower abs and your midsection). You also need to burn the fat padding your torso. Your best bet is to take a class that focuses on core strength (like Pilates) and keep up -- and even change up -- your regular cardio workouts. And dont forget the importance of a healthy diet. If you are eating too much, you wont ever see those six-pack abs. Fitness rule #5: Work out regardless of the weather. What youve been told: Its safe for you to exercise outside in all weather conditions as long as you dress properly. Why you should break it: Daily exercise is important, but certain outdoor conditions can hurt your health. Heavy smog days or cold, damp weather can increase your risk of having a heart or asthma attack. Plus, if you suffer from allergies, high pollen days can make your workout a miserable experience. Worse, on days that are subzero or particularly hot, you run the risk of hypo- or hyperthermia and sunburn. What you should try: On days when the weather looks iffy for exercise, stay inside and work out with weights, or go to the gym. Not only will it give you the chance to change up your workout; youll also be much more comfortable and will avoid putting your health at risk. At Fit4You, we pride ourselves on offering our members and clients the most comprehensive, up-to-date fitness, nutrition, and personal training programs, as well as great classes. Call us today to find out how we can help you meet your Fitness and Nutrition goals!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 13:30:01 +0000
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