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As a fitness coach, I get asked many questions about nutrition, weight lifting, cardio training, and about all of the crazy myths we all hear about but are rarely ever true. Most of us read about working out and eating right on the internet, in magazines, and from our favourite T.V. doctors, but is the information we’re reading about really helping us? Often times, we hear about these magical solutions to our fitness goals, and we spend years making critical mistakes that may be avoided by consulting a fitness professional who is not just providing a cookie cutter answer to all of our questions. Well here I have compiled a very short list of some of the most popular questions I get asked by people, and some of the myth surrounding them.
Q1) What is the best exercise for getting rid of belly fat?
This is a fairly straight-forward question to answer. To reduce belly fat, we must reduce our total body fat percentage. Most people spend years doing crazy abdominal exercises thinking that if they feel the burn in that area of the body, it must be burning the fat. We don’t get to choose where we put the weight on so we can’t pick and choose where the weight comes off.
Q2) If I do weight training, am I going to look like a bodybuilder?
For women who get scared of using free weights, there is no reason to be scared!!! Women often make the mental connection of weight training and looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. The only way anyone builds muscle is with the hormone Testosterone in their system. The majority of women have extremely low levels of this hormone, just like men have extremely low levels of Estrogen. The benefit of weight training for women is to get a toned physique. Women want to tone up, but often times will refuse to do resistance training out of fear of bulking up. This is a common mistake many people are spending years making.
AND FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE REASON YOU CLICKED ON THIS ARTICLE!!
Q3) What’s the secret to losing those 20 pounds?
The answer to this question is very simple my friends………… The secret is progression consistency and dedication. Most of you probably think that is extremely obvious, but it’s true. Let me take a moment here and define what each of these mean. Progression: you must be progressing your workout program to meet your goal. Too many people get caught in the habit of doing the same routine day in and day out, year in and year out. You must constantly be changing your routine every few weeks to keep progressing to your overall goal. Consistency: Fitness must become a part of your life if you want to really reach your goal and maintain it. Just buying the gym membership doesn’t make the weight go away. I’ve seen many people show up to the gym for two months with the same routine and then I don’t see them for six months. Once you become accountable to your goal, you will start seeing real change. Dedication: doing things that will help you get to your goal and not hinder your ability to reach it. Your goal must mean something to you. Losing those 20 pounds isn’t going to be important to everyone, but it must be important to you. We always have a deeper reason for wanting to achieve the goals we do. Maybe to look better for our significant other, to play with our kids, or to do those things in life you’ve always wanted to do but have never been physically able to do. Whatever your reason is, reaching your goal will give you the confidence to do things you never thought were possible. So now that you all have the secret, it’s time to take action and reach those goals you’ve always wanted to reach. Now you don’t have to waste any more time with all of these myths because I’ve cleared up some of those here in this article for you.
If you would like to learn more about how working with a coach can help you reach your goals, please contact Eric at eric@bodyfit.ca