5 Simple Truths About Exercise That Most People Ignore

If you’re looking to get fitter, build muscle, or simply have a healthier lifestyle, you have more than likely looked to exercise. While exercise is an excellent place to start when working toward fitness, there are many things you may not know about exercise.

Whether you’re new to exercise or are seasoned in the practice, there is always room for improvement. Some of this improvement can come from the exercise itself, while other enhancements can come from learning some simple truths about the practice that people ignore. Here are some of those truths:

Exercise Alone Isn’t Enough

You might be the type of person who walks 10,000 steps a day after going to the gym and weightlifting for an hour. You might wind your evening down with a quick yoga class or stretch routine.

However, no matter what you do inside the gym or in a Pilates studio, nothing will give you the health and fitness you want if you’re not eating to support your body. Eating healthily and ensuring that you drink enough water is essential for fitness.

Eating balanced meals that contain proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats will help you achieve a chiseled physique and have better cardiovascular health. Hydration will assist in keeping your tissues healthy and kidneys, bladder, and liver going strong.

Try to eat according to when you’re going to work out. For example, if you’re going to be working out in half an hour, you should be eating something small and easy to digest, like fruit. However, if you’re two hours away from your workout, you can have a bigger, balanced meal.

You Can’t Choose Where You Lose Weight

Many people have areas of concern for their bodies. Some want a smaller waist, while others dislike the size of their arms. Exercise and eating a balanced diet are great ways to begin addressing these concerns, but there is no guarantee that you will lose all your weight in that particular area.

As you exercise more and eat a more balanced diet, your body will naturally lose weight, but it is impossible to target weight loss. The most effective thing you can do for weight loss in a particular area is to eat well and consistently exercise to make your entire body healthier.

Lifting Weights Won’t Make You Bulky

This concerns many people who don’t want their muscles to become too bulky. They believe that lifting lighter weights, not lifting weights at all, will result in a lean and slim look, while lifting heavier weights will result in a bulky look.

Although weights help you build muscle, they will not automatically make you look bulky. In fact, the bulky look requires much effort and dedication. Lifting weights will strengthen you, assist in bone health, and tone your body.

There Is No “Right Time” To Exercise

You might think you need to exercise in the morning when your energy is at its peak or at night to help you sleep better. The truth is, there is no ideal time to exercise. You should exercise at a time that suits you so that you remain consistent.

The benefits of your workout will be achieved no matter what time of day you work out, so if you’re low on energy in the morning, save your weightlifting sessions for later on in the day.

Cardio Does Not Reduce Muscle Gain

Many people believe that cardio will reduce their muscle gains. However, this is not true. No evidence suggests that cardio or aerobic activity reduces muscle gain. In fact, researchers have found evidence to prove that cardio and aerobic exercise do not affect muscle building.

Cardio is essential to any fitness routine as it helps your heart health. Walking on the treadmill for 15-20 minutes or being on the stationary bike for a while before or after your workout will only contribute positively to your fitness.

What Is the Most Overlooked Component of Fitness?

While fitness has many components, certain aspects are often overlooked. One of these is flexibility, one of the most overlooked aspects of fitness. Without flexibility, your muscles and joints risk becoming stiff and limiting movement. If this happens, it could lead to more frequent and severe injuries. Being inflexible could also cause muscle and joint pain even without exercising.

A recent study has found that, along with protecting your muscles and joints, flexibility could lead to a longer life. Researchers studied a group of Brazilian individuals over thirteen years, and they found that those who were more flexible had a lower death risk than those who were inflexible.

The overall findings were that in men, the 10% of men with the lowest range of flexibility had a 21.2% death rate. The men in the top 10% experienced only a 7.8% death rate. For women, the bottom 10% experienced a 15.4% death rate, whereas the top 10% had a 2% death rate.

If you want to test your flexibility, sit on the floor with your legs stretched straight out. When seated, reach for your toes and see how far you get. Someone with good flexibility should be able to go far enough to touch their toes and possibly further.

Another way to test your flexibility is to bend down from the waist and try to touch your toes while keeping your legs straight. Once again, if you’re flexible enough, you should be able to touch your toes and possibly put your hands on the ground.

Once you know your flexibility level, you should start stretching based on that. If you’re not flexible at all, start with beginner’s stretches. If you’re already flexible, you can do more complex stretches to maintain your flexibility.

What Muscle Gets Neglected the Most?

Of all the muscle groups you work on whenever you exercise, one is most neglected. Although it is not a muscle group seen with the naked eye, it contributes to many health conditions, like bladder health and incontinence.

The pelvic muscles are essential for both men and women to master as they contribute to bladder control, sexual health and organ support. If your pelvic floor is weak, you might experience incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.

Like any other muscle in the body, there are exercises targeted at training the pelvic floor. One way to train your pelvic floor is to do kegel exercises at least once daily. You can also do bridge lifts, requiring pelvic floor muscles to lift your bottom off the floor while your shoulders and feet remain on the ground.

Other exercises, such as squats and bird dogs, also help to strengthen your pelvic floor. If your pelvic floor is already severely weak, you might need to see a physical therapist who can provide therapy to strengthen it again.

What Is The Biggest Reason People Quit Their Exercise Routine?

Getting into a fitness routine is hard enough, but being consistent when you have developed a routine is even more challenging for some. So, why do people quit their fitness routines after working so hard at getting them started?

One of the most common reasons people quit their fitness routine is that they feel they don’t have time. Between working, commuting, and socializing, many people find it difficult to find the time for fitness.

Another reason is loneliness. Many people feel they need those close to them to take an interest in their workouts. If friends and family don’t want to go on runs or join a pilates class, some people feel they are no longer interested in it either.

One more common reason people quit their fitness routine is that they feel uncomfortable or inexperienced. Many people don’t even get to the gym because they fear they’ll do something wrong. The fact is, many of those more experienced gymgoers might help those less experienced.