Busting Fitness Myths With Science

By Tom On November 14, 2014 In Nutrition No Comments

It seems like everyone is trying to make a buck off the fitness craze these days. The result: television, print media and the web are saturated with every conceivable fad diet, miracle weight loss plan and hokey gimmick under the sun.

I should know. I fell for just about every one. That’s also the reason I started reviewing workout programs and products on this blog. Reading these reviews will actually help you find out what’s good and what’s not.

If I was really going to get fit I knew I had to separate nutrition facts from nutrition myths. The majority of diet and exercise advice out there has been clumsily tossed out by amateurs. There is a growing number of people with no real nutrition or fitness credentials, who try to educate Americans about their health. This is patently absurd to me.

A BETTER WAY

It is time to buck this trend by taking a cold, hard look at the scientific, medically validated methods for getting in top shape. I spent years chasing fads and following bad advice. When I lost a little body fat I would gain it right back.

When I put on some muscle mass, I gained it slowly and painstakingly. I could never get the tone and definition I wanted and mass seemed impossible to attain. I just never got the physique I wanted. There had to have been a better way.

GET REAL ABOUT FITNESS

I turned a deaf ear to the fads, gimmicks and cons. It was time to stop listening to gimmicks and tune into science. I spent nearly a year studying the research and medical breakthroughs that define modern fitness. I grew deeply familiar with proven methods that could lead me to optimal physical shape.

Two years ago, I followed these techniques and lost 25 pounds of body fat while gaining 20 pounds in muscle mass. My balance between mass and tone couldn’t be more ideal. It took nearly 8 months to sculpt my dream body but I have remained in peak physical shape for almost a year and a half since. I have never been happier.

I am so excited by the methods I found and used- and how well they work- that I am committed to freely sharing them with the world. I am not here to sell a fad or a gimmick, I am not offering a magic pill or a revolutionary workout video. No, I am offering free advice that will change your life.

THE REAL SCIENCE OF EXERCISE

Cutting calories is a given when it comes to losing weight. However, without a regular exercise program in place, most diets will fail. Regular cardiovascular workouts increase the flow of endorphins and lead to enhanced mood, reduced anxiety, heightened confidence, reduced hunger and less impulsive behavior. Not to mention they accelerate the weight loss process and sculpt the body more rapidly.

It doesn’t take a genius to know that we need exercise. However, it is because of great leaps in nutritional science that we now know the most effective, safest, healthiest and best ways to diet and exercise. The following tips turned me from a guy who haphazardly ran on a treadmill to a fine-tuned athletic machine.

IS IT BEST TO EAT BEFORE OR AFTER A WORKOUT?

Research shows that proper nutrition before a workout is superior to eating afterward. Digestion takes time. It takes close to an hour for blood-amino acids to sharply rise from a balanced meal. This provides greater endurance, heightened anaerobic performance and it satiates the appetite for hours after exercise.

Give yourself time, about an hour after a complete meal, before you hit the gym. In addition to burning up all those calories and having more energy you will dramatically increase your level of protein synthesis during exercise.

Eating a high protein breakfast is another way to maximize your fitness goals. This can inhibit hunger throughout the whole day and increase the chances that sugar taken in during lunch is stored as glycogen.

TO CARB OR NOT TO CARB? AND THE ROLE OF INSULIN

Many people spoke out after the Atkins Diet and other high-fat, low-carb diets swept up national attention. Critics claimed that these diets reduced your body’s insulin sensitivity, opening the door to potential aliments. In reality, the decrease is practically negligible.

Regardless, these diets involve highly restricted sugar intake, making the need for insulin much less relevant. A low-carb diet with an emphasis on quality protein and high-impact exercise is the most rapid, effective and result-yielding way to gain mass and tone while losing body fat.

CREATINE

Many people reach a plateau with high intensity interval training. They feel stuck. Creatine may be their answer.
It may assist muscles in making phospocreatine, which accelerates physical strength and gives you more power and endurance for short, high-impact exercise.

The best source for Creatine is through diet. Salmon, tuna, beef and pork all have moderate to high levels. Nutrition stores also offer powder and capsule varieties. Research finds high-intensity exercise to nearly always beat longer duration workouts. Using Creatine can provide that edge you need to perform longer, stronger high-impact exercise and see better results.

CASEIN PROTEIN

We all know how sleep is important in bodybuilding. Muscles are repaired and proteins are synthesized. Just 1.5 ounces of casein protein before bed can provide over 25% more protein synthesis during sleep.

RESVERATROL

Along with curcumin and green tea, resveratrol has proven to be an effective regulator of blood-sugar balance. These supplements have high antioxidants which can neutralize free radicals and enhance overall health. A 2012 Canadian study demonstrated how resveratrol can increase endurance and improve cardiac function. A study by the CDC proved it to be a powerful tool in the prevention of heart disease. Not only can resveratrol boost your workout but it can ultimately save your life, too.

VITAMIN D

Vitamin D can strengthen your immune system, strengthen your bones and even provide more endurance for your workout. Most importantly, it can improve muscle regeneration after exercise. This will let you grow more muscle, faster. Be sure you are taking a D3 (cholecalciferol) supplement. It delivers more benefits than D2 (ergocalciferol) such as heightened calcium absorption and greater endurance gains.

CITRULLINE MALATE

Many bodybuilders take the amino acid L-arginine to increase arginine levels in the blood.
Citrulline Malate, surprisingly, can increase arginine levels even more than arginine itself. Six grams is an ideal dose.

FISH OIL

Fish oil was thought to help regulate blood-sugar levels. In reality, it has been shown to potentially impair these levels. However, there are some amazing benefits to this supplement. It can increase fat burning, lubricate joints to reduce pain, protect the heart, heighten protein synthesis and even potentially enhance mood.

So far for busting fitness myths with science. I hope you found this post useful. Please share if so! 😉