Personal Trainers Speak Out On Fitness Myths
We all read fitness and nutrition tips online, magazines, or hear advice from friends and family; but what is really legit? Bootique’s personal trainers in San Diego sound off on the rights and wrongs of the grapevine. These are the fitness myths that bug us the most.
Sarah Nakamoto – Bootique Personal Trainer San Diego
MYTH: Eat low fat foods
TRUTH: “Drives me insane. They are loaded with sugar and don’t keep you full!”
MYTH: You aren’t getting a good workout if you aren’t sore
TRUTH: “Soreness is not a good indicator of a great workout. Progress is. Results are!”
MYTH: You can’t work out without equipment and/or a gym
TRUTH: “Some of my best workouts are sans both of these”
MYTH: Eating before a workout is bad.
TRUTH: The truth is not eating before a workout is bad.
MYTH: You can’t workout with an injury
TRUTH: “I’m living proof this is false. Most of us trainers are”
MYTH: I can’t do…. (fill in the blank).
TRUTH: “I’m willing to bet you can do a lot more than you think you can if you just try. I’ll show you”
Rocio Ramos – Bootique Personal Trainer San Diego
MYTH: I worked out today, so I can eat this cupcake, burrito, cheese burger, etc…
TRUTH: “Empty calories, like those found in junk foods turn directly into fat that your body cannot immediately burn them off. Plus, all the sugar found in these foods causes inflammation and hormone imbalances… an entire other set of problems. So sure, eat the burger, but don’t expect the pounds to come off”
MYTH: Dieting, in general
TRUTH: “Diets are as mythological as unicorns. You have to implement healthy eating habits for the rest of our life, not for a week, month or 3 months. I would never recommend any Adkins diet, Herbalife shake cleanse, or weight loss dieting scheme to anyone. Cut out processed foods, stop eating/drinking sugar and eat foods that nourish your body with REAL food. (Whoa I got a little fired up there!)”
MYTH: Lifting heavy weights makes you bulky – My favorite.
TRUTH: “Muscles grow; you gain weight, or get bigger because of specific, targeted workout routines and diets. Or because you’re eating pizza after your workouts ;)… see my first myth.”
Ali Purpera – Bootique Yoga Instructor San Diego
MYTH: You have to be flexible to be good at yoga
TRUTH: “This is simply not true! Sure – a little flexibility will get you in pretzel-like poses featured on magazines. But, pretty poses are not at the heart of yoga. If you can breathe with intention, you can be a yogi. Yoga is more about connecting breath, movement, and mindfulness. There are variations of every pose for every level of flexibility” (Sarah attests to being living proof that this myth is false).
Sabrina Campbell – Bootique Personal Trainer San Diego
MYTH: You have to look like a model to be fit
TRUTH: “It happens to us all, everyone occasionally falls prey to someone that doesn’t have your best interest at heart. We’ve all been trained to look out for the same types of people: used car salesmen, purses being sold out of the back of a car, and skinny pastry chefs. There is one type of deception that happens every day, the perpetrator is Instagram.
The internet will lead you to believe that being healthy requires you to look like the color filtered, photo-shopped, and the 21 year old model; this is simply untrue. Take a look at some of the world’s best athletes, they don’t all have six packs, chiseled arms, or sculpted legs. Many have soft midsections, sloped shoulders, and could never find a great selfie angle.
How can this be? Every human body is different; because of this every human body looks different when it is healthy. Media trains us to look at ourselves from the outside in. To truly assess how healthy you are try looking from the inside out. How do you feel? How much energy do you have? How is your attitude? Do you love yourself? The answer to these questions is infinitely more important than how many of your abs you can see in the mirror.
So the next time you look at your phone and feel that tiny edge of disappointment and jealousy, just remember that many of the greatest athletes on the planet would feel the exact same thing. There is no Instagram filter available that makes you feel good in your skin, so be healthy and love yourself”
Jaylin Knight – Bootique Founder and Personal Trainer San Diego
MYTH: You should diet and exercise to lose weight
TRUTH: “This is thinking about it the hard way. Forcing yourself into various states of deprivation and punishing your body just because you want to lose weight is not a fun way to live and it hardly leads to your desired goal. The best reason to make healthy choices about food and movement in your life is so that you feel good. It feels good when you give your body nutrients that give you energy and keep your body functioning well. It feels good to move your body, allow it to perform and feel strong. It feels good to connect and share healthy habits with your friends and family.
These are the reasons I recommend eating well and exercising often. When you focus on the goal of feeling good and you do these things consistently – the weight will naturally come off – easier than you ever expected!”
Need more truth about health and fitness? Check out our blog for tons of tips, advice and solutions on how to reach your fitness goals from our personal trainers in San Diego.
