2
Go hard or go home!
If this is your kind of thinking, you will never
start or maintain an exercise programme.
There is overwhelming evidence from
research that one should rather do something
than nothing, and that every little bit helps.
For example, regular walking or gardening for
as little as an hour a week has been shown
to reduce the risk of heart disease. You will
not necessarily be able to run a marathon or
bench press 100kg, but both your body and
soul will be much happier.
3
I can get my dream body
if I just train hard enough
Both weight gain and loss is impacted by
many factors, including dietary intake, your
environment and genetics. All individuals will
not lose the same amount of weight on the
same exercise programme. Some individuals
will actually respond very little to a regular
exercise regimen in terms of losing fat weight
(these individuals are called non-responders).
You have all seen runners finishing the
Comrades marathon not looking the part.
Now you will be mistaken if you think they
have not trained hard and long hours to finish
that race, because nobody can just step up
to the starting line and run more than 90km.
This is good evidence to show that exercise
per se doesn’t make you thin, especially if
you’re not endowed with the right genes.
Losing body fat is a complicated matter (if not,
we wouldn’t have rising obesity rates), and it
goes far beyond a regular training programme.
The good news, however, is that research
has shown that being overweight and fit is
much better than being thin and sedentary, as
fitness is directly related to a lower risk of allcause mortality. Furthermore, regular physical
activity is one of the most important factors for
successful long-term weight management.
4
Weight training makes
women big and bulky
Weight training can make you bulk up – if you
have the XY chromosome and it is your distinct
Research has shown
that most people
misjudge both the
number of calories
burned during
exercise and the
number of calories
in food eaten.
intention to build huge muscles. Even then, it is no
easy feat to gain muscle. It takes time and effort,
a carefully compiled scientific training programme
and finely tuned nutritional strategies. For women,
however, these sound strategies will not be
enough. The reason being that women have
nowhere near the required testosterone levels to
put on any significant amounts of muscle mass.
If you do see women with bulky muscles, you
know for sure that their dietary habits include illegal
substances such as anabolic steroids, growth
hormone and many other designer drugs. There is
just no other way. The truth is that strength training
approximately two to four times a week, doing a
variety of exercises for the major muscle groups,
will help women to achieve a lean and toned
appearance, and strengthen bones and joints. In
fact, since women are more prone to osteoporosis,
it could be said that women might actually benefit
more from weight training than men.
5
I’m way too old for this
Age is just a very bad excuse. Studies have
shown that it is never too late to start
working out – you can reap benefits at any
age. Exercise can help reduce the risk of
bone and muscle diseases and help enhance
daily functionality even later in life. This
means you will be more independent as you
get older, not to mention being admired by
your grandchildren for completing the odd
fun walk/run every now and then.
6
Pass the puff pastry, I went
to gym today
You are in for a big surprise. You will
probably gain weight, as the exercise will
increase your metabolism and give you a
healthy appetite. Research has shown that
most people misjudge both the number
of calories burned during exercise and the
number of calories in food eaten. So never
use exercise as an excuse to overindulge. %