9 things your fitness expert wants you to know

Exercise myths busted!

A fitness expert is someone who is trained to give you sound workout and training advice. Mentioned below are a couple of points Arnav Sarkar, a Kolkata-based fitness expert wishes that every fitness enthusiast understands:

1. You do not necessarily need to exercise for 1 hour every single day of the week: The duration of the exercise session depends on many factors. However, in most cases involving general goals like health, fat loss, strength gains, etc, 30 to 45 minutes should be enough in terms of duration. Professional athletes on the other hand might probably need more than an hour a day. And in terms of frequency, 2 to 5 days a week of intense exercise and lighter intensity training on the other days is ideal. So basically, being active on most days of the week is the best way to go.

2. The more you sweat, the more you burn is a complete myth: Sweating more does not mean burning more fat. Sweating more means losing more water from the body rather than fat. And the water that is lost by sweating can also be gained back when one rehydrates.

3. Lifting weights won't bulk you up: Bulking up can be achieved with exercise and diet rather than simply lifting weights. Most athletes, including the leaner ones in sports like running, Cricket, etc are all lifting weights, and most of them do not look like professional bodybuilders. It takes a very carefully planned diet program primarily to get bulky.

4. Kettlebells are different from dumbbells and they do not hurt your back or beat you up: Both are a form of resistance training, and offer great benefits when done properly. The difference between the two lies mainly in the design and the way it aligns with the body, but both deliver great results.

5. Cardio is not important for everyone : Cardio has many forms and is not limited to only a morning walk or jog. Even weight training offers cardiovascular benefits when done with short rest intervals. So, one usually gets a cardio workout even without doing traditional cardio. That being said, it might be best to do some form of traditional cardio 1 to 3 times a week for best results.

6. You need to consume fat to reduce fat: Fat is an important part of a healthy and balanced diet. Without adequate fat in one's diet the hormone production will not be optimized, which can lead to slower fat loss, and will lead to mostly water and muscle loss.

7. Stretching never decreases muscle soreness: Muscle soreness, the one that occurs after a training session, is not really reduced with stretching. It simply needs rest and good nutrition to recover from.

8. Bulking up for women is completely okay and healthy: Bulking up is a personal choice for a man or a woman. If a woman who is severely underweight and wants to bulk up, then it is probably healthier for her. However, putting on mostly body fat for someone who is already ideal or overweight, can lead to health problems.

9. People who are over 50 cannot exercise: A person should always exercise if they want to stay healthy. Exercise is a very important factor in staying healthy and enjoying life. Of course, a person starting to exercise after the age of 50 will need to start slow and might have some limitations.

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