Health And Fitness Myths That Should Go Away

It doesn’t matter where you look nowadays; you will always find somebody out there wanting to sell you digital advice based on their expertise and six weeks experience of being an online fitness influencer.

The truth is, because of people like this, real fitness enthusiasts and fitness experts are being disregarded. Over the past few years, social media fitness influencers have been popping up everywhere and throwing nonsense around the internet that is doing nothing but leaving the general public concerned.

In this post, we are going to be looking at some of the fitness myths that are so dominant out there today and hopefully squash them once and for all. By the end of this post, we hope you can leave and feel better education about what’s real and what’s nonsense when listening to these “experts.”

Why You Should Only Take Professional Advice

When it comes to health and fitness, there seems to be a somewhat blase attitude from people who are peddling rubbish online, and if we are honest, these people are putting others at risk.

Most people don’t seem to realise the level of risk they are putting to some people, and it won’t be long before somebody gets seriously hurt. 

When it comes to seeking health and fitness advice, you should always check the credentials of whoever is dishing out advice. Let’s face it; you wouldn’t ask a man on Facebook that owns a scalpel that has recently completed a two-day course in surgery to remove your spleen, would you?

If you wouldn’t trust that guy, why would you trust a random online fitness expert? 

The Somatotypes

One of the biggest fitness myths doing the rounds on the internet has to be related to body types. If you don’t believe us, just head on over to social media and take a look at the amount of rubbish being peddled about the three main body types.

Most online fitness “experts” are now holding quite close to their extensive knowledge of the body types that are ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph, but the only problem is, this is an outdated theory from the 40s that holds no ground in the modern fitness world. 

Back in the 40s, a psychologist by the name of William Herbert Sheldon developed a system of classification that put everybody into one of the three categories, the only problem was, this theory was taken and pulled apart and held as completely wrong by 1950.

The reason this myth has carried for so long is simply that online fitness influencers believe it increases their status and makes them sound knowledgeable; in reality, you should be using this as a tell. If you find an online fitness trainer that talks about these body types, you know this is somebody to avoid like the plague.

In addition to the pooh-poohing in the late 1940s of the somatotype theory, the BMA has also conducted extensive research and found that to attempt to categorise the body into three somatotypes is a ludicrous notion.

If You Want To Make A Change, It’s Going To Be Hard

Ok, let’s start by saying that if you are looking to lose vast amounts of weight and completely change your life, then yes, of course, it is going to be very challenging, but you should also recognise that if you are looking to make some changes to your life that could make you feel fresh as a daisy and give you a new lease of life, it won’t be too tasking at all.

The first thing you should realise is this; if somebody offers you a miracle diet or a generic exercise plan that works for everybody, you should aim to make a ‘you’ shaped hole in the nearest wall. With claims like this, you will usually be asked to pay a degree of money that will only serve to reduce the weight of your bank account.

The truth is, when it comes to making some changes, you can start at home and it really just takes a few small steps to get things in motion and start to make some noticeable changes in your life.

One of the first steps you should be taking is to look towards changing up your daily routine. If you are looking to make a little difference to your cardiovascular health, then you should probably be thinking of taking a 3-4, 20-minute brisk walks every week.

While most people head straight out and burn out with some running, this can apply a certain level of strain to the heart. The second thing you should be looking at is your diet. Yet again, there will be a lot of people offering random nutritional advice, but the very best thing you can do at the beginning is lower your intake of sugar and saturated fats and increase your water intake and finally reduce your calorie intake by around 200 if you want to shed a few pounds. If you take these simple steps and combine them with your brisk walking, you will be burning calories in no time at all. 

Online Nutritionists 

When it comes to online influence nowadays, there also seems to be a rising number of online nutritionists, and it seems they are peddling some of the most dangerous information available online at the moment.

One thing that is important to remember is that in general, you should be taking your nutritional advice from a dietitian and not a nutritionist, or have we all forgotten about the drama behind Gillian McKeith?

The simple fact is, while there may be some good nutritionists out there, there are millions that are gaining non-accredited certification from sources all over the internet and dishing out nutritional advice to the general public that can do far more harm than good. 

If you really want to make a change to your diet, then the best idea is to visit your local GP and tell them about your goals and plans. If your GP thinks you will benefit from the help of a dietitian, then he will refer you.

You certainly should not be paying a stranger for advice on a fad diet that could possibly harm you. When it comes to diet, a lot has to be considered from allergens to the functioning health of your body and even the health of your skin. 

As you can imagine, there will be no way for an online fad nutritionist to determine any of these things, so you should probably be looking for a trusted option rather than a quick one.

Magic Pills

Another thing that we are going to look at is, of course, the ever prominent magic solutions, pills, drinks and supplements that can make you lose weight, gain weight or turn you into the hulk in about a week.

While it may go without saying that these are all marketing ploys that offer no value whatsoever and they are generally a huge waste of money. 

When we look at some of the most popular weight loss solutions in the world at the moment, it turns out that most of the pills are nothing more than either expensive vitamins or diuretics to help clear you of a little water.

When it comes to gaining and losing weight, there is no better solution that a little work and a little change in the diet. If you both gain or lose weight too quickly, it’s going to be incredibly dangerous to your system, and the ramifications to this can be life-changing.

If You Want To Get Big, You Better Lift Heavy

The final myth to make today’s post is going to be, yet again another one that is flying all over the internet.

Whether you are on Facebook or YouTube, you will often see fitness influencers peddling the myth that if you want to increase your size, the only way to do it is to lift heavy. Well, the truth behind this one is simple; it’s a load of rubbish.

When it comes to getting big and lifting big, there have been countless studies that have been done, and they all say the same, lifting big and lifting frequently but lighter generate the same results.

So, if you are looking to put a little something extra on and get a little bigger, don’t worry about going big, just worry about time under tension and making the most from your workouts.

Conclusion

So there you have it, just a few myths that are still doing the rounds today, hopefully, the information in today’s post will help you out a little on your fitness journey.