With so many sources of health and fitness advice out there, some of them are bound to be pushing outdated or discredited information.
Here are a few pieces of conventional wisdom on which you should cast a skeptical eye.
Fitness Fiction
-Swimming is a great weight loss activity.
Though swimming burns excess stress, increases lung capacity and tones muscles, this statement isn’t entirely true. A WebMD roundup of exercise embellishments defers to professional triathlete and personal coach Eric Harr, who says the buoyancy of the water makes it so you don’t work as hard as you would if you went for a run. You would have to swim for hours on end each day to actually see any pounds fall off. On top of that, when it comes out of the water, the body’s response changes and most often calls for food, which may lead to eating more than necessary.
-You need to sweat for 45 minutes to get any health benefit from exercise.
Actually, you don’t have to sweat at all to see significant results. Personal trainer and strength coach Eric Allen says in a Men’s Fitness article it all depends on the focus of your training. Heavy weightlifters focusing on pure strength must give their nervous systems adequate recovery time in between sets for peak performance. Also, some people may not have 45 minutes a day to spare, but a study by Arizona State University showed that people had lower blood pressure readings and better cardiovascular health when they split their daily walk into three 10-minute sessions rather than one half-hour walk.
Not-So Nutritious
-Gluten-free foods are best for weight loss.
These foods may be more healthful due to their comparatively low levels of chemicals and wheat compounds, but people often compensate by overindulging, reasoning that it’s OK because it’s gluten-free. While a study from the Monash University Department of Medicine and Gastroenterology has shown that gluten-free diets can reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in patients with Celiac disease or other gluten sensitivities, it’s more advisable to eat vegetables and lean meats, which are naturally gluten-free.
-Kale is the most healthful green.
It’s the superfood of our generation, thought to be packed with numerous health benefits, but is it really so super? While it contains many positive nutritional qualities, kale has less nutrition per calorie than 13 of its other green produce counterparts. According to a 2014 William Patterson University study that ranked vegetables and fruits by their nutrient density – 17 nutrients linked to improving cardiovascular health – kale didn’t even make the top 10. No. 1, watercress, came in with a nutrition density score of 100, whereas kale, at No. 14, only had a 49.07.
Olivia Tharp is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com
