weight training

7 Exercise Myths Keeping You from Optimizing Your Health

If you want to be optimally healthy and happy with energy and vitality to spare, exercise is essential.

Most people are well aware of this, yet many still don’t make the time for it. Excuses abound; from “not having enough time,” to “if you can’t be consistent, there’s no point in even beginning.”

A number of fitness myths may be holding you back. Nutrition Action recently listed 10 exercise myths you’re best off ignoring. I’ve also written about a number of fitness fallacies in previous articles.  Here are my top seven picks of the bunch, in no particular order.

August 7, 2015 | Source: Mercola.com | by Dr. Mercola

If you want to be optimally healthy and happy with energy and vitality to spare, exercise is essential.

Most people are well aware of this, yet many still don’t make the time for it. Excuses abound; from “not having enough time,” to “if you can’t be consistent, there’s no point in even beginning.”

A number of fitness myths may be holding you back. Nutrition Action1 recently listed 10 exercise myths you’re best off ignoring. I’ve also written about a number of fitness fallacies in previous articles.  Here are my top seven picks of the bunch, in no particular order.

Myth #1: Weight Training Will Make Women Look Too Bulky

Many women ignore strength training because they don’t want to “bulk up.” This is a mistake, as gaining more muscle has many benefits, from losing excess fat to maintaining healthy bone mass, and preventing age-related muscle loss as you get older.

Women, even heavy weight lifters, are not likely to gain excessive bulk simply because they have less muscle tissue and produce lower testosterone levels than men.

For a woman to turn into the Hulk, she’d have to be graced with exceptional genes, work out like a professional athlete, and take anabolic steroids, so ending up looking like a man really isn’t a concern for most women.

Rounding out your exercise program with a one-set strength training routine will help you optimize all the possible health benefits of a regular exercise program, and that includes “anti-aging” benefits as well.