🏌🏼‍♂️5 Fitness myths debunked🍎

There are a few “fitness” myths which I think would probably better be described as something like “health-myths”, “digestion-myths”, “food myths” or something along those lines.

These are myths and common misconceptions that can really interfere with ones intuition and make certain areas of life more difficult or complicated if one starts getting really invested in and misguided by them.

🍞Myth 1: Carbs are bad

CARBS ARE NOT BAD.

CARBS ARE GREAT. CARBS ARE IMPORTANT.

Let me tell you that your body LOVES CARBS!

Carbohydrates are the bodies first fuel source.

They are stored in the muscles as glycogen.

Your body needs carbohydrates for so many things, including

Recovery,
Muscle growth,
Brain function, concentration, memory,
Production of serotonin,
Regulation of blood sugar levels

Cutting out carbs can make you feel depleted and lethargic,

reduce the time your muscles can work under tension,

make you feel unsatisfied and stunt muscle repair and recovery.

If you do not have a specific condition that would warrant a diet that limits carbs – you should not feel forced to cut them out.

LOVE THE CARBS.

🌘Myth 2: Eating late is unhealthy or will make you gain weight.

Not true.

There has been no distinct study to prove that eating late at night results in either.

Eating schedules are very personal and can depend on

occupation, 
activity level, 
metabolism, 
personal preferences, 
convenience or even customs of the country you live in.

In countries like Italy or Spain, people tend to eat later at night and having dinner between 9 and 10 o’clock is not uncommon.

In the UK or Germany for example, having dinner between 6 and 7 is more prevalent.

The chosen dinner time can be customary or just a habit.

But at the end of the day, if we are talking about weight gain,

it depends on the type of foods and how many calories were consumed throughout the day, not WHEN they were consumed.

Some people feel better eating late at night while others don’t.

It can be as simple as that.

🥑Myth 3: Fats make you fat.

NAHHHH.

Fats are so important.

There are a variety of fat - sources and their qualities can differ greatly.

The main two categories are saturated and unsaturated fats.

Saturated fats are usually hard at room temperature.

They can be found in butter, coconut oil, in meat, dairy, . . .

They are usually associated with what people call “unhealthy fats” because they are linked to raised levels of LDL cholesterol and blockages in the arteries.

Unsaturated fats on the other hand are liquid at room temperature and are also referred to as “healthy fats” because they are linked to the HDL cholesterol levels in the body.

They are found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, . . .

A lot of foods have a combination of both fats and as with most things in life it has been shown that a balanced mix of both fats in healthy individuals is best because the “clogging quality” of the one fat and the “declogging quality” of the other balance each other out.

So cutting out one or overindulging in the other is neither necessary nor advised.

👶🏼👵🏼Myth 4: Children or elders should not lift weights.

Also, not correct.

There are numerous proven benefits for both pre-adolescents and seniors regarding weight lifting.

For kids, weight lifting can support muscle development and strength.

It can be a big vote of confidence and an equalizer to the more hectic or unbalancing parts of childhood.

It has been proven that children who take part in these physical activities have an increased endurance, 
muscular strength 
and bone density compared to their untrained counterparts.

For seniors, weight lifting can aid in slowing down or halting atrophy of muscle tissue and improve

musculoskeletal health, 
bone-density and 
cardiovascular function.
It can greatly improve overall 
stability, 
balance 
and coordination. 

Furthermore, it can greatly improve

self - confidence and the quality of life.

🍕🥗Myth 5: You have to eat ‘clean’ to be healthy.

Ummm, no.

The definition of ‘clean foods’ is one to be argued about.

Food is not just its nutritional value.

Food can be purely fuel.

Food can be a mood-lifter.

Food can be part of an event or social gathering.

Food can bring people together or even aid in curing an illness.

There are many different ways of looking at food and in my opinion,

limiting oneself to certain foods or labeling them as good or bad is seldom a good idea.

For some people it is very important to eat certain foods in order to achieve

specific goals by eating these foods.

If that is regarding

matters of the soul,

sports performance,

physical health issues, or others.

Food is personal and there is no one size fits all.

Food is also what you make from it.

Habits and diets can change a lot over the course of a lifetime as does anything.

It is good to try and listen to your body and see what works for you.
This, especially with all of the information and input from society, can be challenging.
A simple solution to that is to go and see a registered dietitian or a specialized therapist in order to get some guidance and support.

If you have any questions regarding these topics feel free to DM me on instagram on @thrive_bynature 🤗

*note that I am neither a registered dietitian, therapist, medical practitioner,...*

Thank you for reading💚

See ya next blog👋🏼

Xx Stella