7 Health and Fitness Myths

1. Being Skinny means you are healthy- FALSE FALSE FALSE!! This is one of the worst myths out there. A person can be skinny and eat only ice-cream and never exercise. A person can also be heavier and exercise an hour a day and eat a balanced diet. You never know what someone's metabolism is, or if they have underlying health issues. So don't be quick to judge.
2. You should drink 64oz a day- Water is important, but their is no exact amount. This number depends on your activity level, size, pregnant, or any other various reasons. If your urine is light yellow or colorless, and you are rarely feeing thirsty it is probably safe to say you are drinking enough water.
3. Sweating hard means you are burning more calories- Sweat is not a sign you are burning more calories. Sweating is your bodies means of cooling off. It is possible to burn calories without sweating; taking a walk, and light weight training for example.
4. You have to feel pain to see benefits- We have all heard the saying "no pain, no gain" Although this is partially true, it is also dangerous. Muscle soreness, or stiffness a couple days later is completely normal, especially if we are working new muscles. But that is very different from pain. If you are in pain during a work out, or more than stiff it is very likely you are doing the exercise wrong or you already have an injury. If it hurts, stop, rest and see if it goes away. If it doesn't go away, or begins again/increases as you work out, experts say to call your doctor.
5. The only effective work out is to go to the gym- Work outs aren't about what you use, but how you use it. Use a work out mat at home, go for a brisk walk outside, follow a work out video, healthy living doesn't need to wait for a gym membership.
6. You shouldn't work out every day-  While rest should be apart of your work out, and you should switch up which muscles you use to get a more complete full body work out, do not use this as an excuse to not exercise! But you also need to remember you don't have to have a super intense work out every single day, this is especially important to remember for those just starting out.
7. Running is better than walking- Walking and running target the same muscle groups, but at different intensities. They both have similar results, but the difference between them is it takes twice the amount of time to expend the same energy walking as it does running. So running still wins if you are strapped for time. But walking is a great lighter option if you want to work the same muscles and have more time.