Busted! 7 Most Common Fitness Myths

The definition and idea of fitness is often misunderstood by people and their minds are ingrained with numerous myths about the same.
Read through the article to know the most common fitness myths.

1. Pain Factor

Most people believe that if the workout regime you are following doesn’t cause pain it indicates ineffectiveness. However one must be aware of the fact that if a certain part of your body is in pain you have injured it in the process. Do not overdo your exercises just to feel the pain.

2. Dieting

Drastically reducing your calorie consumption is not the best way to keep fit. It would rather be inert to be cutting down your diet without any professional advice. Breaking down your meals and reducing fat intake should be your method to achieve your target.

3. Equipment

There are many who believe that the better equipment you use, the fitter you can get. However, it is important to bear in mind that simple exercises, yoga or even a walk can contribute the same way as a heavy workout with posh equipments would.

4. Weight Lifting

People assume that picking up heavy weights while working out can make them look bulky. However, one must remember that the bulkiness of the body is related to the testosterone levels, which is about 30 times more in men than women.

5. Time Factor

Some people live under the misconception that exercising for longer hours can give better results. Exercising regularly for a considerable amount of time can show the results on your body in some way or the other. Any form of exercise immediately has a positive effect on your heart and improves the strength of your body.

6. Selective Workout

A popular belief held by many is that you can concentrate on the part of your body that you wish to reduce the fat from. However this seems to be an impossible task. Experts recommend performing full body workouts that ensure fitness for the entire body.

7. Empty stomach workout

In the frenzy of losing weight rapidly, people work out on an empty stomach. However experts recommend that the body requires a certain amount of glucose to work with. If the glucose in your body is used up, it starts burning the muscle. It is best to eat a quick snack before beginning your daily workout.
Taking expert advice and planning your daily workout regime can prove to be highly effective and aid the weight loss target you have set for yourself.

3 Simple Exercises For A Flat Tummy

No injury, no exhaustion – just three simple exercises that will tone those ab muscles into perfection, if supplemented with 20-minute brisk walks everyday.

1. Bicycle crunch

Lie down with your back pressed onto the floor. Bring your hands behind your head. Starting with your legs bent at a 45-degree angle, bring the right knee into the chest while straightening out your left leg. At the same time, rotate your top half so your left elbow goes to your right knee, then switch to the other side. Repeat for one minute, three times a day.

2. The boat

Sit on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat and tilt back, extending your legs so your body forms a right angle. Pull your abs in to balance. Extend your arms at shoulder height past your knees. Hold for five slow breaths and return to your starting position. Repeat five times a day.

3. The plank

Lie face down then lift yourself up on to your toes and forearms, with your elbows bent at 90 degrees. Keeping your core muscles -— your stomach and bottom — tight and your legs straight, hold for 10 seconds. Repeat three times a day, gradually building to 40 seconds each.

The Hidden Benefits of Regular Exercise

Don’t we all aspire to have the perfect body, the good looks and the suave demeanor? In order to achieve this we religiously work out, follow strict diets and try to stay away from things that might distract us from achieving our goal of staying fit and healthy. We are so engrossed in looking at the bigger picture of having the perfect body that sometimes we overlook some of the benefits that daily exercise provides us with.

Stronger Immune System 

Ever wondered why you are not as susceptible to cold and flu as your colleague who is sneezing and coughing all the time? It is because you are consistent in your exercise routine. Exercise elevates your level of immunoglobulin, which are proteins that help bolster your immune system and ward off infection. This is the reason why you have a stronger immune system than your colleague’s. Exercise not only helps your immune system fight off simple bacterial and viral infections, it decreases your chances of developing heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancer. However, don’t overdo it as it may reduce your white blood cells and increase the presence of stress-related hormones.

Higher Self-Esteem

Consistent, daily exercise will greatly enhance your self-esteem and mental outlook while reducing stress. It releases pent-up, nervous, energy that would otherwise fester within your psyche. Furthermore, the chemicals released by the pituitary gland during vigorous exercise, endorphins, improve one’s mood, making you feel happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence.

Energy Boost 

You have a lot of work to do and don’t know how you are going to survive your work deadlines and pressures? Don’t worry; your daily exercise regime has taken care of your problems. Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. Thus, exercising will help you combat the weariness and give you greater energy throughout the day.

Glowing Skin

If you have been exercising regularly, you would have noticed that your skin looks radiant after an exhaustive workout. This is because exercise gets the blood flowing, and that increased blood flow carries more oxygen to the skin. The boost in blood flow and oxygen to the skin cells also carries nutrients that improve skin health. Exercise also reduces stress which is a cause of acne. Thus, make exercise your secret skin care ingredient for a younger, healthier and smoother complexion. However, remember to gently wash your face post a rigorous workout.

The key is to find what exercise you enjoy, stick with it, and reap the ongoing benefits of sticking to a regular workout routine.

5 Reasons Why Cycling Boosts Weight Loss

What we started as kids could be the biggest life-changer if you pay more heed. Shedding pounds or overall fitness, spinning those pedals provides a fat-scorching workout that’s actually fun to do.
MensXP brings you the motivation as well as the justification why you should hop on your bike and hit the roads instantly after reading this. Here are five reasons why cycling boosts weight loss: eight easy ways to get leaner by bike.

It Produces More Ways to Burn Fat

In order to burn fat, you need the fatty acids to shuttle from your body’s storage into your working muscles. That is enhanced by the endurance training you do on a bicycle, as the levels of fatty-acid-binding proteins and fat-carrying enzymes increase. The idea is to use more oxygen to burn more fat, and that can be done only when you get fitter.

It Strengthens Your Body's Biggest Muscles

In order to increase your fat-burning ability, you need to build lean muscle tissue in your lower body, especially in your legs and glutes. Cycling does exactly the same—it uses all the biggest muscles in your body—your quads, hamstrings, hip muscles, and glutes.

It Won’t Wear Your Joints Out

Whether you’re sweating it out at the gym or lifting heavy weights at home, you’re bound to strain your joints in some way or the other. Fortunately, bicycling is a non-impact exercise, which means there’s no jarring on your joints. Even if you are overweight, you will do good to your body by biking your way to weight loss.

It Trains Your Muscles to Burn More Fat

Cycling builds hundreds of thousands of capillaries in your legs, which means you can deliver more oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. When the mitochondria (the fat-burning furnaces in muscle cells) get bigger, they use the raised influx of oxygen to burn more fat and produce more energy.

It Increases Your Daily Calorie Burn

Here’s the final good news: cycling also increases your daily calorie burn while you’re out there turning the pedals. Even at a recreational pace of 13 to 15 miles per hour, you burn 500 to 600 calories in one hour. If you ride just an hour every day, you can burn up to 4000 calories per weak. If you are not convinced, here’s a small example: an hour of walking burns just 150 to 250 calories, while jogging only burns between 350 and 450 calories.