Myths Around Exercise

First of all there are a lot of myths and opinions set around what exercise is best for you and your goals. Just remember no one has the same goals as you they may sound the same, look the same or even feel the same but they mean different things to everyone and everyone will have a different way of achieving their goals. The plans and routines out there for you to pick and choose from are all in some way supported by some sense of logic or even science (some definitely more than others) but at the end of the day none are really specifically made for you.. unless you make them of course.

With this in mind it's easy to see why there is so much conflicting information, let's face it we are a passionate bunch and if we feel something works we will back it 100% and because to a degree it all works everything you read is supported by some form of evidence or research. In fact the real sticking point is drive and motivation, so how do we train that? Well we don't follow others ideas for a start. Picture the scene, you have finally sat down and decided to make this happen you are going to get fit! So what works? Running? Low intensity? YAWN!! High intensity? OUCH!! Weights?? "No I do not want to get big and muscular!! Oh I don't know; .. I know!! I'll ask someone! "So what works??"

Aerobic exercise is great for fat burning! Oh but I heard lots of that kind of impact is bad for your joints! Well running? Apparently too much cardio actually causes us to store more fat than burn it, it also causes more ware and tear on our joints and stresses our body in a way that breaks down muscle tissue and increases fat stores and besides you need carbs for it and I heard that they are bad to!"... well what about a circuit class? Resistance builds muscle muscle burns fat! But I don't want to be bullied by a big ex army instructor or made to lift heavy weights because that's a sure way to injure myself and besides weights will make me heavier not lighter!.. I could go on.. but I would literally still be writing this time next year! In my experience; they are all correct statements and they are all incorrect statements.

When you take them out of context and don't consider the bigger or whole picture, you are shooting in the dark. The truth is too much of anything is bad for you too little is too ineffective to judge and getting good at one thing will make you bad at another.. any one that's been on a FitFarms weight loss and fitness retreat will be used to me not giving them many answers other than the speech about balance. There is a massive need to understand human nature and the potential characteristics you need to deal with when creating a program for someone. Which is why I think we are all our own best personal trainers if we can just tap into our own potential. But that's another rant for another time.

For now consider the fact the only difference between a successful program and a failure is the person involved. This isn't to say we are all failures just that if the mix isn't right then the cake won't rise! So pick the right starting point for you don't worry too much about all the info out there until you are in a position to sift through what is best for your goals and what works for you. Just get out there and start to make good choices and let the rest start to fall in to place.