The Myth: Doing tons of crunches will give me six pack abs!
Oh, the ever elusive six pack. We all want one, and most of us dream of it every bathing suit season. Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as stopping at your local liquor store.
Watching infomercials alone is the best example of our obsession with perfect abs, and the crunch seems to be the one way we all think we’ll get there. Time to reboot your six pack navigation system, sweethearts!
To get a six pack, several things are necessary:
1. Intense exercise. Yes, it takes dedication in this area and that means movement. Exercising a few times a week or doing only cardio won’t cut it, or YOU.
2. The right diet. As they say, abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. No matter how many crunches you do, a layer of fat will hide any muscle you do manage to build.
But to truly expose those beauties to the world, you’ll need to get your body fat down to between 7 and 9%. That's a brutal task for any woman, that involves serious AM and PM cardio sessions, at least one hour of weight training per day, and a diet so clean you can hardly taste it! (e.g. no gluten, no dairy, and no bad fats) If you're like most women and you're content with a flat tummy, you can expect it at about 15-20% body fat.
Whether your goal is major cuts or just a sleek, flat stomach, a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise should definitely be on the menu. Do those things consistently, and a slimmer midline is yours to behold!
Showing posts with label Mythbuster Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mythbuster Monday. Show all posts
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Mythbuster Monday: Third Edition
The Myth: the number on the scale is a good measure of my progress.
We all want to look good and fit into our old favorite jeans. We want lean arms, flat stomachs, tight asses, and smaller waistlines. If you think the number on the scale makes a difference to your size 2's, knock it off! The anxiety alone of worrying and stressing about a pound or two or more will make you gain weight.
The number on the scale is just that: a number. Plus, the number itself can fluctuate anywhere from three to five pounds a day. Weighing more or less at the end of the day is no indication that you're fatter than you were when you woke up. It just means you're retaining fluids, had a heavy lunch, missed a workout, or skipped a date with the John. We know you've heard it before, too, but muscle is more dense than fat - 18% more, to be exact - so the same pound of muscle takes up less space in your body than a pound of fat does. When you step on the scale, there's no way to differentiate fat from muscle, fat from water, muscle from tissue, or organs from blood.
And really, why do you want to tell your body to weigh 120 when it wants to weigh 125? If you're happy with the way you look, happy with the way you feel, keep up whatever you're doing! Or just chop off a limb, because that would be the quickest way to lose 10 pounds. If you're not happy with the way you look, maybe you should take a hike and consider self-acceptance. Step on a treadmill instead of a scale for a change! If you know you can step on a scale and not have a panic attack, go ahead. But if you can't, trash the scale.
Think back to when you were at your "ideal weight". What were you doing then?
We all want to look good and fit into our old favorite jeans. We want lean arms, flat stomachs, tight asses, and smaller waistlines. If you think the number on the scale makes a difference to your size 2's, knock it off! The anxiety alone of worrying and stressing about a pound or two or more will make you gain weight.
The number on the scale is just that: a number. Plus, the number itself can fluctuate anywhere from three to five pounds a day. Weighing more or less at the end of the day is no indication that you're fatter than you were when you woke up. It just means you're retaining fluids, had a heavy lunch, missed a workout, or skipped a date with the John. We know you've heard it before, too, but muscle is more dense than fat - 18% more, to be exact - so the same pound of muscle takes up less space in your body than a pound of fat does. When you step on the scale, there's no way to differentiate fat from muscle, fat from water, muscle from tissue, or organs from blood.
And really, why do you want to tell your body to weigh 120 when it wants to weigh 125? If you're happy with the way you look, happy with the way you feel, keep up whatever you're doing! Or just chop off a limb, because that would be the quickest way to lose 10 pounds. If you're not happy with the way you look, maybe you should take a hike and consider self-acceptance. Step on a treadmill instead of a scale for a change! If you know you can step on a scale and not have a panic attack, go ahead. But if you can't, trash the scale.
Think back to when you were at your "ideal weight". What were you doing then?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Mythbuster Monday - Second Edition
The Myth: Weight training is for men. Cardio is for women.
Depression. Insomnia. Cellulite. Muscle Loss. Back Pain. Arthritis. High Blood Pressure. High Cholesterol. Osteoporosis. Heart Disease.
If all 10 of these common female problems sound about as fun as an enema, you should weight train. The benefits of strength training, at any age, are way more than just a tight ass. Increased strength, reduced body fat, improved athletic performance, and decreased health risks like the ones listed above. Looking good is just a bonus. You'll also have more energy and sleep better, too.
The belief that weight training will make a woman look like Lou Ferrigno is straight bullshit. Men have 10 to 30 times more testosterone than women. It just isn't possible. It also isn't possible for you to get the body you really want with cardio alone. For each pound of muscle that you gain, you'll burn up to 50 calories more every day. Keep it up for 10 weeks or more and you can fire your therapist. Here's more: strengthening lower back muscles can eliminate lower back pain, and adding muscle helps support your bones, which means less breaks, better bone density, and stronger joints. That sounds sweeter than a Godiva bar!
As if you need more convincing, there's no time like the present to start training. Whether you're in your 20's, 30's, or your 80's, strength can be maintained and increased at any age. Check back tomorrow for a free ass-kicking circuit to get you started!
Which muscles on your body would you most like to buff up?
Depression. Insomnia. Cellulite. Muscle Loss. Back Pain. Arthritis. High Blood Pressure. High Cholesterol. Osteoporosis. Heart Disease.
If all 10 of these common female problems sound about as fun as an enema, you should weight train. The benefits of strength training, at any age, are way more than just a tight ass. Increased strength, reduced body fat, improved athletic performance, and decreased health risks like the ones listed above. Looking good is just a bonus. You'll also have more energy and sleep better, too.
The belief that weight training will make a woman look like Lou Ferrigno is straight bullshit. Men have 10 to 30 times more testosterone than women. It just isn't possible. It also isn't possible for you to get the body you really want with cardio alone. For each pound of muscle that you gain, you'll burn up to 50 calories more every day. Keep it up for 10 weeks or more and you can fire your therapist. Here's more: strengthening lower back muscles can eliminate lower back pain, and adding muscle helps support your bones, which means less breaks, better bone density, and stronger joints. That sounds sweeter than a Godiva bar!
As if you need more convincing, there's no time like the present to start training. Whether you're in your 20's, 30's, or your 80's, strength can be maintained and increased at any age. Check back tomorrow for a free ass-kicking circuit to get you started!
Which muscles on your body would you most like to buff up?
Monday, October 18, 2010
Mythbuster Monday - First Edition
The Myth: Carbohydrates make me fat.
So you decided to finally lose the weight once and for all. Great! You're going to get in amazing shape and you're really serious this time. Fabulous! You're going to start by cutting out carbs. WHAT?!
Guess what: only a huge moron would cut out an entire essential food group to try and lose weight. For your information, carbs are NOT a luxury. Your body actually requires carbs just to function! Carbs provide energy, protect the muscles, help absorb calcium, feed the friendly bacteria in your intestines that aid in digestion, and can even help lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure.
Low carb diets are associated with headaches, body aches, sore joints, muscle aches, constipation, dizziness, and loss of energy and concentration. Remove carbs completely and it gets even uglier: bad breath, dehydration, bone loss, depression, mood swings, anxiety, liver inflammation, heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. And once you start a low or no carb lifestyle, you can never stop or you'll put the weight back on quicker than a Britney Spears marriage.
But before you run down to your nearest 7-11 to stock up on Hostess cupcakes and potato chips, keep in mind that lumping all carbs in to one happy basket is dangerous. Not all carbs are created equal. Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly:
The Good: Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Grains, Whole Wheat Pasta, Fruit, Vegetables, Beans, Nuts, and Legumes.
The Bad: White Sugar, White Bread, Alcohol.
The Ugly: Soda, Donuts, Cookies, Fast Food, Processed, Battered, and/or Fried Food, and anything labeled "Diet".
Get your fill of "The Good" carbs during in the morning and throughout the day when you need the most energy, skip them at night, leave out the rest, and don't believe everything your catty girlfriends tell you.
What are your favorite carbs from each category, Good, Bad and Ugly?
So you decided to finally lose the weight once and for all. Great! You're going to get in amazing shape and you're really serious this time. Fabulous! You're going to start by cutting out carbs. WHAT?!
Guess what: only a huge moron would cut out an entire essential food group to try and lose weight. For your information, carbs are NOT a luxury. Your body actually requires carbs just to function! Carbs provide energy, protect the muscles, help absorb calcium, feed the friendly bacteria in your intestines that aid in digestion, and can even help lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure.
Low carb diets are associated with headaches, body aches, sore joints, muscle aches, constipation, dizziness, and loss of energy and concentration. Remove carbs completely and it gets even uglier: bad breath, dehydration, bone loss, depression, mood swings, anxiety, liver inflammation, heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. And once you start a low or no carb lifestyle, you can never stop or you'll put the weight back on quicker than a Britney Spears marriage.
But before you run down to your nearest 7-11 to stock up on Hostess cupcakes and potato chips, keep in mind that lumping all carbs in to one happy basket is dangerous. Not all carbs are created equal. Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly:
The Good: Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Grains, Whole Wheat Pasta, Fruit, Vegetables, Beans, Nuts, and Legumes.
The Bad: White Sugar, White Bread, Alcohol.
The Ugly: Soda, Donuts, Cookies, Fast Food, Processed, Battered, and/or Fried Food, and anything labeled "Diet".
Get your fill of "The Good" carbs during in the morning and throughout the day when you need the most energy, skip them at night, leave out the rest, and don't believe everything your catty girlfriends tell you.
What are your favorite carbs from each category, Good, Bad and Ugly?
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