The Myths of Fitness...BOOOO

I wanted to share some myths about good ol fitness. There's a bunch that we all must get to the bottom of. I'm sure we all don't want to be confused with what's right or wrong, therefore the TRUTH must be told.

MYTH #1 DRINKING WATER CAN HELP YOU LOOSE WEIGHT

I know right, that's what I said. Who Knew!! So fortunately drinking water will not make you less hungry. It is true that there are no calories, but you're probably eating less because you're walking back and forth from the bathroom. Also, drinking 8 glasses a day is not true. You should only drink when your thirsty. It's to replace the water a healthy adult looses everyday which is about 4 to 6 ounces.

MYTH #2 STRETCHING BEFORE A WORKOUT

Not good. The reason why it's not good is because you're body is cold, tight, and not warmed up. Think of this, your body is like a frozen rubber band, when you pull, it will break. Our body is pretty much the same way. Our muscles are too cold to be holding a static stretch. Try doing some active stretching such as running in place, arm circles, and squats. Stretching after a workout is more beneficial since your body is already warm.

MYTH #3 LIFTING WEIGHT WILL MAKE YOU LOOK BULKY

This one is for the ladies. Men have 20 to 30 times more testosterones than women, which why it is more noticeable in men. For women, you would have to live in the gym and work out harder than the average female to look like the Hulk. Weight training will help decrease weight and body fat because your metabolism will increase and therefore burn more calories. So ladies and fellas, add some weights to your exercise program.

MYTH #4 A HOT BATH AFTER WORKOUT AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Although it does feel good, cold water is a sure bet after a hard work out. When exercising, blood vessels in your body increases in size and stays that way for about an hour after a workout. The soreness which comes from lactic acid settles in the dilated vessels. The cold water will help constrict the vessels which will limit the lactic acid in your blood vessels. So jump into a tub of ice next time.

MYTH #5 HOLDING WEIGHTS WHILE DOING CARDIO

Yes, you can burn calories while holding onto weights; however, it may not be safe. Holding onto weights can cause elbow and shoulder injuries from holding on and using excessive and uncontrollable movements. To burn more calories, bump up your speed or incline on the treadmill.

MYTH #6 TAKING AB CLASSES AND DOING CRUNCHES WILL GET RID OF THE BELLY

You can do 1000 crunches everyday and you still may not see your six pack. The key to attaining a six pack is your body fat. The lower your body fat the more laundry you can do on your six pack. Spot training will not help loose that belly fat. Try concentrating on your cardio, strength training, and diet.

source: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/tips/strategy/top-10-fitness-myths/

Jumping Rope

In my opinion, one of the best cardio workouts you can do is jump rope. It's cheap, you can do it anywhere, and you don't have to spend one hour just to burn an x amount of calories. FYI, in one hour you can burn up to 1000 calories. With jumping rope you can build your cardiovascular endurance, develop lean muscles, and improve coordination and balance.

If you're a beginner you want to start off slow and try to find a rhythm where you are most comfortable. The more you do it, the faster you'll get, and the more calories you'll burn.

Try this:

Jump rope for 1 minute. Count how many times you jumped in one minute.
Now jump rope for another minute and try to beat the total amount of jumps you performed previous.

Try to remember your total jumps and continue to beat it each time you jump rope.


Also, for those who are little more advanced, my HS basketball coach once told me to listen to music while jumping rope.

Play three songs and try to jump rope non stop to each song. Music usually makes exercise more fun. Next thing you know, you've jumped roped through three of your favorite songs.

Weekend Fitness Warrior

Weekends are the best!! You can catch up on sleep, maybe do a little hardcore cleaning in the house, or you can get outside and be a "Fitness Warrior". I always admire those folks who get up early on a Saturday or Sunday to get their FIT on. It makes me want to get out there with them.

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I promised myself to go to the beach every weekend to go running. It lasted maybe three months. But since moving to a better location in LA I'm ready to get going again and become the "Weekend Fitness Warrior" that I was before.

Things you can do to be a "Weekend Fitness Warrior"

1. Join a bike club or run club. They're usually free and they send invites for weekend rides and runs.

2. Go hiking. Just wear proper attire and bring water.
3. Try swimming at the lake or beach.
4. Sign up for a race. This will help you get out on the weekends.
5. Join a sports team such as softball, volleyball, basketball, and flag football. These are usually fun because you can meet new people.

Here are some websites to get you started:

http://http://www.active.com/om/ You can find different races to sign up for.
http://www.meetup.com/ You can find different clubs to join.
http://zogsports.org/ This is an example of local sports leagues you can join in your city.

The Launch of Gym Etiquette

Welcome "Fitness Buffs" to Gym Etiquette...
So what is this Gym Etiquette? Well let me first tell you it's not about being etiquette in the gym. Hopefully you are aware that it does exsist and that you DO practice etiquette in the gym place. It's just better for everyone and we all win. Gym Etiquette is a name that I just brainstormed and hopefully will use it to make me rich. The rich part hasn't happened yet obviously.

Anyways, I was inspired by my friends back home in New Jersey and the folks at my workplace that I wanted to start this little blog so I can help them with any questions that they have about fitness. Weather it's a certain workout, class or food, I want to make sure that I can reach out to them and of course the millions of people who will subscribe to my blog!!! So spread the word for me, thanks!!

Each day (hopefully), I will post workouts and fitness tips that can help your fitness needs. I hope that my tips can help reach your fitness goals. Ask all sorts of questions and I will do my best to answer them for you.
So from LA and around the world, WELCOME to GYM ETIQUETTE. Now give me 20 pushups!!!!