The first myth is that if I walk for 30 minutes, I will lose weight.
First, although it’s true that a daily 30-minute walk has health benefits, it doesn’t mean it will automatically lead to weight loss. Recent studies have shown conclusively that steady-state exercise alone will not activate the metabolism enough to significantly affect body fat loss unless significant dietary adjustments are also made. When comparing walking to other forms of exercise for weight reduction, sprinting and interval training with high intensity (HIIT) have been shown to offer substantial benefits. Fat loss is impossible without limiting caloric intake and cutting down on non-whole foods such processed meals, sugary drinks, and alcoholic beverages.
Second Pregnancy Myth: You need to consume enough food for two people.
True #2: You don’t need to eat for two just because you’re pregnant. Nutritional needs increase dramatically during pregnancy and lactation, but it’s more vital to prioritize quality than quantity. Since stomach emptying slows considerably during pregnancy, more of the nutrients in meals are absorbed into the body. A pregnant woman’s caloric intake should be increased somewhat, but just to meet her own base metabolic rate (BMR) & the foetus’s demands. Follow your doctor’s orders and focus on eating whole, natural meals so they can track your baby’s development.
Three, I gained weight throughout my pregnancy.
Truth #3: You did not gain weight during pregnancy. While it’s true that even perfectly healthy pregnant women will put on some weight (most of which will be fat), the fact that she hasn’t been able to shed the extra pounds after giving birth has nothing to do with the pregnancy itself. Pregnancy weight increase is often described as follows in Australia:
• Fluid and fat retention at a rate of 44%
• Fetus at 25% gestational age
Placenta, increased amount of blood, increased maternal tissue (such as the uterine wall & breast tissue), and amniotic fluid account for the remaining 31%.
Maintaining the same low activity levels as before birth (remember, walking won’t do it! ), high stress, which elevates cortisol production and promotes fat storage, and bingeing on “missed treats” that were off-limits during pregnancy (a glass of wine, McDonald’s, etc.) are the usual causes of postpartum weight gain rather than weight loss.
Fourth Fallacy: If I lift weights, people will think I’m a guy.
Fact 4: This fabrication has gained traction and appeal as an excuse for women not to include weight training as an element of their fitness program ever since Female Breast Building became an official sport. Before the emergence of Natural Body Building organizations, when Female Body Building got professional, contestants commonly injected and ingested a wide variety of both organic and artificial male hormones. They gained incredible quantities of substantial muscle and lost astonishing proportions of body fat thanks to the medications, which basically transformed them into men. I thought it looked horrible, and I’m sure it had terrible effects on health. Nothing else but the Testosterone and HGH gave them this opportunity.
If a woman’s hormones are working normally, she’ll have about the same amount of testosterone as a 10-year-old boy. The capacity to gain significant muscle mass without supplementing with Testosterone &/or Human Development Hormone is exclusively male and only very rarely seen in women.
A woman’s muscles will develop stronger and add a little percentage of mass when she lifts weights. Muscle growth necessitates an increase in metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns at rest) since maintaining the new mass takes more fuel. Assuming no more calories are consumed, the end outcome is weight reduction. For women, this shift will show up as smaller tape measures and clothing sizes and a more toned appearance. Because muscle is denser than fat, weight gain on the scales is possible; thus, I advise skipping the scales in favor of a tape measure & skinfold calipers.
As for the ‘tuckshop woman’ arms, I’ve been told that with some simple arm workouts, I can get rid of them.
Truth #5: If’spot reduction’ really worked, nobody would ever be overweight again. Spot reduction, or focusing on a specific place of the body to reduce fat there, is a myth that has never been proven effective. When you gain weight, the extra pounds first appear around your waist and then expand outward. Our bodies are like storage facilities in that we lose weight in a manner that mirrors the sequence in which we first gained it. For instance, if I tend to gain weight first in my waist, then my hips, thighs, and buttocks, the reverse is likely to be true when I lose weight. Arm exercises that last for hours and end can help you create solid, strong muscles, but they may not help you avoid the dreaded “tuckshop lady” look. If you want to enhance your metabolism and grow high-quality muscle, you should focus on full-body weight training or HIIT first. Eliminate any added sugar, salt, alcohol, and fizzy beverages from your diet and replace them with fresh, whole foods; this will help you lose weight and feel great.