Seven Fitness Myths, Debunked

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Seven Fitness Myths, Debunked (NAPSA)—With the New Year rapidly approaching, there’s no shortage of advice on the best ways to achieve your resolutions. Yet, when it comes to fitness and weight loss goals, it can be difficult to tell fact from fiction. Stay on the fast track to keeping your New Year’s resolutions. Here are Bowflex Fitness Advisor and author of “Beat the Gym,” Tom Holland’s top seven fitness myths exposed: Myth #1: You need to spend at least an hour in the gym to see results. Research shows you can actually achieve better results doing 15 minutes of interval training three times a week than by jogging on a treadmill for an hour. Not sure where to start? Consider this: The new Bowflex Max Trainer (www.bowflexmaxtrainer. com) burns up to 2% times the calories as do other cardio exercise equipment in 14 minutes and engages the upper body 80 percent more than a traditionalelliptical. Plus, it’s designed specifically for the home, so you can work out anytime. Myth #2: As long as you exercise, you can eat whatever you want. Whether you want to maintain, gain or lose weight, you need to make sure your caloric intake matches your goals. To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. For example, if you burn 500 calories during your workout and then eat two or moreslices of pizza (topping 500 calories), you'll end up gaining weight. You can determine how much to eat by testing your metabolic rate, since your metabolic rate is the energy you use in order to be alive plus the energy needed for daily activities. You can use this mea- surement to accurately identify how manycalories your body needs. Myth #3: Organic or glutenfree foods are best for weight loss. There are many benefits of eating organic or gluten-free foods. For example, they have more antioxidants, less pesticides and food additives. However, overeat- ing is still overeating. Make sure to evaluate your overall caloric intake and expenditures to stay within the boundsofyourgoal. Myth #4: Fitness shakes are just for people who want to bulk up. Many people confuse fitness shakes with “mass gainers”— products used to aid in bulking up. Protein shakes, however, can actually be a great way to achieve Be smart about fitness myths to reach your New Year’s resolutions. Fitness shakes are a great way to help you achievea healthydiet. the healthy diet necessary to reach fitness goals. For instance, the new line of Bowflex Body” (www.bowflexbody. com) fitness shakes activates the metabolism and helps build muscle, burn calories and boost energy, all while refueling the body. Myth #5: Do cardio on an empty stomach to burn the mostfat. Many people believe if you work out on an empty stomach, your body will use its stored fat supply to fuel the exercise. However, research showsfat burn is consistent whether you eat before a workoutor not. If you’re looking for cardio motivation, the new Nautilus 616 cardio series (www.nautilus.com) includes a treadmill, elliptical, upright bike and recumbent bike. Features include groundbreaking technology for better connectivity and customizable workouts with the innovative Nautilus Trainer™ app. Myth #6: Crunches are best for getting great abs. No matter how many crunches you do, you won’t see six-pack abs until you lose the layers of fat covering your abdominal wall. The best way to lose fat is to stick to a strict diet and scorch major calo- ries with interval training and compound weight-lifting exercises —which use more than one major muscle group. Myth #7: I can’t reach my fitness goals because I can’t afford a trainer. Personal trainers are a great resource to help motivate and take you to the next level. But if you can’t afford a personal trainer, don’t be discouraged. There are many great (free!) resources online you can use to aid yourfitness regime, including the Bowflex Insider blog at www.bowflexinsider.com. “Don’t let yourself be fooled by these common fitness myths,” advises Holland. “The tips above can help you reach your fitness New Year’s resolutions.”

--- PHOTOS ---

File: 20190731-232350-20190731-232347-84340.pdf.jpg

--- FILES ---

File: 20190731-232347-84340.pdf