By Julian Gaylor (B App. Sci Human Movement) Owner of PerFit Health and Wellness

As a fitness professional I hear a lot of ‘interesting’ theories in regards to health, fitness and weight loss. In some instances these theories are correct, but in other cases it’s simply a load of bulldust. So where does this misleading information come from? Sometimes it comes from a person trying to sell their brand new diet book, or the companies pumping out the latest and greatest ab-blaster-pro-2000 that promises to turn your flab to fab in just 15 seconds a day! On the other hand, sometimes it’s a more innocent case of someone obtaining fantastic weight loss results and attributing it to something they believe to have caused the results, when in fact it was something totally different.

Below is a comprehensive list of health and fitness beliefs and an explanation as to whether or not they are a hit or myth!

Belief: Eating after 7pm causes weight gain.

Verdict- Myth!

Your body and the calories it consumes do not know what time of the day it is nor do the calories consumed react differently depending on the time of the day you eat. It ultimately comes down to how much you eat and exercise over the whole 24 hour period. The reason night time eating gets such a bad rap is because by then most people have already eaten their days quota of calories so anything in addition to that will be stored as fat. If you eat sensibly during the day there is no reason your food intake has to go down with the sun.

Tip: Most times when we eat in the evening, it’s because we are bored. The most common time we grab for that packet of biscuits is when the TV ads come on. Instead of packing the calories on during the break, see how many you can burn by doing as many sit ups you can do before the ad break finishes (and try and beat on the next ad break!)

Belief: You have to give up all your favourite foods to lose weight.

Verdict- Myth!

When people think of losing weight, they think of restrictive starvation diets and live in fear of being separated from their favourite indulgences. When constructing meal plans with my clients, I tell them that they are allowed to have anything in moderation. Love your pizza? Cool, you can have it! You’re a sucker for chocolate? No problem! When it comes to weight loss, it’s about what you eat MOST of the time, not SOME of the time. Having your favourite indulgence once a week is fine as it keeps you sane, avoids any huge breakout binge sessions and you avoid theguilt associated with cheating on your healthy meal plan. In actual fact, you may not even want to eat this type of food after a few weeks as it may make your body feel sluggish since its used to all the healthy food you’ve been eating (A bit like putting dirty oil into a high performance car).

Tip: Give yourself a reward meal once per week where the rules don’t apply. Some people call this a cheat meal but I prefer to call it a reward as cheating has negative connotations attached to it. Remember, you can have this reward meal only if you deserve it and have eaten well all week.

Belief: Since I will burn the same amount of calories if I walk 3km or run 3km, I may as well walk.

Verdict- Myth!

Sure, it is true that walking 3km will burn around the same amount of calories as running 3km but what happens after the exercise has finished is where the real magic happens. After you finish walking, your heart rate will drop back to resting levels very quickly whereas running will leave your heart rate elevated for a much longer time and therefore increase your calorie burning metabolism for longer.

Tip: If you can’t run the whole distance, don’t throw in the towel. Try interval training to build up your fitness levels. Try running for 30 seconds and walking for 1 minute until the end. As you increase your fitness, gradually change the intervals to longer runs and shorter walks until you can run the whole way!

Belief: Diets don’t work in the long run.

Verdict-Hit!

These days we live in a world of home delivery, remote control, on demand and drive through. We live in a word of instant gratification which in other words means we want things RIGHT NOW. When people want to lose weight, they want it right away so they turn to fad diets to lose weight. It’s true that these diets will help you to drop a few kilograms in a reasonably short amount of time but you’ll put them all back on (plus more) in the long run. On top of that, restricting the quantity and variety of food you eat puts a great deal of stress on the body’s internal functions. Starving yourself of various food groups can result in harmful and even potentially fatal nutrient deficiencies.

Tip: Weight loss and healthy eating is a lifelong relationship, not a one night stand. You’re better off losing weight gradually rather than dropping it suddenly as you are more likely to keep it off and won’t cause harm to the body.

Belief: I need to count calories/kilojoules

Verdict-Hit!

I’m not a big believer in counting calories down to the last crumb but the bottom line is you need to know what you are putting in your body. It’s very common for me to have new or potential clients swear black and blue me that they eat healthy yet they are 20kg+ overweight and steadily increasing. Clearly they are not eating well but in many cases, it’s simply a case of the client having a slight misconception of what is healthy and they eat what they think is healthy. This is surely not a case of ignorance is bliss. The two most common errors people make is eating the wrong ratios of foods or simply just eating too much of it (even healthy foods can be fattening if you eat too much). In many cases when people do not take notice of what they are eating, the ratio of carbohydrates tends to be much higher than it should be while protein is much lower. In many cases, I’ve found new clients have been eating a ratio of about 25% Protein, 50% Carbs and 25% Fat (25-50-25). I advise my clients to shoot for a ratio of about 50% Protein 30% Carbohydrates and 20% Fat. (50-30-20) When it comes to portion sizes, people tend to grossly overestimate the correct size. When we eat out at restaurants we get served up steaks, pastas and risottos that can have up to 5 times as much food as we really need, and don’t get me started on supersized meal deals or all-you-can-eat buffets.

Tip: Learn to read and understand nutritional labels and every once in a while, weigh your meals to see if you are eating more or less than you should be. When you eat out with a partner or a hot new date, offer to share the desert! Not only will it save you money and your waistline, but it’ll make you seem like the real romantic!

Belief: Doing 1000 sit ups a day will give me a 6-pack

Verdict- Myth!

This applies to doing countless arm exercises to rid yourself of the ‘bingo wings’. Yes training the muscles will make them stronger, firmer and more developed, but you won’t lose any more fat from that area of your body than you would by doing any other exercise.

It’s important to understand that the body is one big energy source, not little pockets on energy (aka fat) that is kept separately all over the body. When you exercise a certain body part, it doesn’t take fat from just that particular area, but from the body as a whole. This phenomenon is called spot reduction and simply doesn’t happen. One of the best ways to lose fat quickly is by eating a calorie deficit and doing a combination of weight training and cardiovascular workouts. Cardio is very helpful in helping you get rid of your fat belly while weight training will ensure your metabolism stay fired up to not only help the fat burning process, but to also ensure you are looking toned and fantastic when you shed the fat. Tip: One of the greatest motto’s I’ve heard is ‘’Abs are made in the gym but uncovered in the kitchen’’. Train them hard and eat well for a great midsection!

You can send any questions or comments to Julian via email at julian@perfit.com.au