TOP SIX EXERCISE MYTHS BUSTED BY HEALTH AND WELLNESS EXPERT

Exercise is one of the most misunderstood elements of maintaining a healthy body weight, says health and wellness expert Kitty Blomfield.

She says there are many ridiculous myths and crazy ideas that are being promoted and shared across social media and in life generally about exercise. “Unfortunately , people believe a lot of the rubbish and try to run themselves into the ground doing cardio for hours and slamming down pre and post workout shakes thinking that this will help them to lose weight and they just end up on yo yo diets getting nowhere," Kitty says. Here, Kitty reveals the top six exercise myths and tells why they are wrong. 1. Exercising in the morning and at night is the best time to train. Wrong. This could not be any further from the truth. In reality, the best time to exercise is between the hours of 11am and 3pm in the afternoon. Exercise and working out raises stress hormones in your body. It also depletes glycogen which the body uses to balance blood sugar while sleeping.

Too much exercise later in the day can actually decrease the reproductive hormones that promote sleep quality. During the middle of the day is when your body is at its most resilient and able to cope with stress. We recognise that the vast majority of people can’t train during this time, so if you can’t - don't beat yourself up, train at the time that suits your schedule and allows you to stay consistent.

The key is to make sure you get your exercise in at some point during the day. 2. Cardio is the best way to burn more fat. Wrong. Strength training is the best way to burn fat. Muscles are metabolically more expensive so if you are strengthening your muscles, you will burn more fat while exercising and while resting. In short, your body uses more energy to maintain your muscles even while at rest.

Cardio involves pushing up your heart rate fast which burns calories but once you stop it comes down very quickly and the calories burn stops.

You are only burning more calories while you are doing cardio, whereas with bigger muscles, you are burning more calories all the time. 3. You burn more fat if you don’t eat before you exercise. Wrong. This is another ridiculous myth. Your body needs energy to exercise so you can strengthen your muscles and burn more fat. If you don’t eat before you train, your body goes into survival mode and slows the metabolic rate to protect itself.

Always ensure that you eat some type of carbohydrate before you exercise such as low fat natural yoghurt, a banana or crackers with low fat cheese.

Avoid foods high in fat or fibre as they take longer to digest and will leave you feeling full. 4. Wear several layers of clothing while exercising to warm up the body. Wrong. This is one of the most ridiculous myths I have heard in a while. Some people actually think that if you keep the body really hot during a workout by wearing several jumpers that you will burn more calories. The body will sweat more and lose vital fluid. Try and stay cool and hydrated while exercising. 5. The more you sweat the better the workout, Wrong. This is not true. Strength training will deliver the most calories lost because muscles use more calories to function. They are metabolically more expensive. Sweating just means that your body temperature is high and you are losing vital fluid. It is not an indication of calorie loss. It is an indication of fluid loss. 6. Pre-workout and post workout shakes will increase the amount of calories you burn. Wrong. The majority of pre and post workout shakes on the market are a load of rubbish. Nothing beats sensible eating and increased fluid intake. Many shakes promote that they will help you burn more calories while exercising but all they do is provide more energy which we know will help you to exercise.

Good food will do this. Why put a manufactured mixture into your body when you can achieve a better result eating healthy and whole foods. Kitty’s 7 Day Eat More, Train Less and Get Results Challenge was built for women to achieve sustainable results without drastically cutting calories, carbs and working out nonstop.