4 fitness & nutrition myths that need to be addressed

There are a number of fitness & nutrition myths make their way into mainstream media & effectively, into our minds. My goal though, is to bust these myths and shed a light on the actual facts & the things you need to know so you can lead your happiest, healthiest & most limitless life possible.

Myth #1 In order to achieve my fitness goals, I need to have incredible motivation, all the time

 Myth alert- this my friends, is absolutely not true.

In essence, no one will have 100% motivation, 100% of the time. What maters though are that you’re disciplined and committed to your journey. For instance, in winter, it’s far harder rolling out of bed at 5.30am to get to your online group fitness class than in the warmer months. However, what will get you up is the routine of getting up at the same time every morning, putting on your active wear & having the discipline to show up every day.

If you’re finding you just can’t find the motivation, check out the article we wrote with our top 3 tips to find that motivation when you need it most. You can read it here.

Myth #2 My number 1 fitness & wellness goal should be about loosing weight

 This is a big myth!

Let me just say, about 95% of the women I’ve worked with & still work with to this day are wanting to loose weight. I put this down to the fact, that as women, we’re constantly told that we need to; weight loss shakes, skinny tea’s, unrealistic social media images, comparisons, the list goes on.

For the women I work with, I remind them, that fitness, health & wellness isn’t about the weight you are or how much the scales say you are. What is important though are things like:

 -       How do you feel about yourself?

-       What is your self-esteem like?

-       What are your stress levels like?

-       Are you getting enough sleep?

-       Are you nourishing yourself with the foods you need to be in order to function & perform at your best?

When we focus on these things, instead of weight alone, we begin to see the bigger picture of why our health, fitness & nutrition is important. Loosing weight should be a bi-product of improving your overall health, fitness & wellbeing, both physically, emotionally and mentally.

Myth #3 I need to cut out carbohydrates to achieve my goals

 BIG Myth alert! I want you to repeat this with me: “Carbohydrates are my friend”… say it as many times as you need to in order to know this! 

Now, there’s been a number of messages told to us in marketing that say we need to be cutting out carbs. You don’t have to look far, we see this in things like ‘low carb’ protein bars & protein shakes & a number of supermarket products. 

Please know that carbohydrates are fuel, we need them to function. For instance, your brain relies solely on carbohydrates to function so you can think clearly, do your work, do your duties at home and do the things you love.

 It’s important to know, the carbohydrates we consume should be from a ‘whole’ source. Things like legumes, whole grains, starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, potatoes), rice and oats are all great sources of energy-giving carbohydrates. We want to minimise the more processed carbohydrates from things such as deep friend & processed foods (i.e. Doughnuts, fries, pizza). Enjoy these in moderation (notice though how I didn’t say to cut them out?)

Myth #4 Resistance training will make me bulky. I need to be doing lots of cardio every day to get ‘fit’. 

This has been a myth that’s been floating around the fitness industry for a very long time & I want to settle this one right now for you.

Resistance training is ESSENTIAL for women, because as we age, our bone density decreases and one way to fight against this is through resistance training. After the age of 60 years, our bone density & muscle will begin to decrease by 60% too. See why it’s important?

Resistance training can be in the form of weights & pump classes or can be body weight based doing Pilates (we run online classes on Monday’s, (find out more & book here), reformer Pilates and things like aqua aerobics.

The recommendation is to be doing 2-3 resistance sessions of about 30 minutes in length each week for overall muscle & bone health.

So, overall ladies, it’s essential, when hearing myths like the ones I’ve listed, you dive a little deeper into them and understand what they really mean. Focus on your fitness, eat the good carbohydrates, find your discipline & a good routine and don’t forget to o your resistance training!

If you want accountability & a fun, supportive community to help you stay on track with your fitness & nutrition goals, trial our LFN online community free for 7 days.

We run daily live-streamed group fitness classes (including Pilates& resistance training) & make fitness & nutrition fun, non-judgement based & accessible for all women. Find out more & sign up here.