Natural Knowledge 24/7 Educate yourself with nutrition, health and fitness knowledge.
Living a healthy and fit lifestyle can be challenging enough without having to separate medical facts from fiction. Fortunately, we at Natural Knowledge 24/7 have taken a closer look at some common myths regarding health, fitness and diet.
MYTH: You lose most of your body heat through your head.
Fact: While you should always bundle up in cold weather, body heat escapes at an equal rate though any uncovered body part.
MYTH: Before working out, you need to stretch your muscles to prevent injury.
Fact: Stretching before a workout doesn’t actually increase your range of motion. Instead of stretching, opt for warm-up exercises instead.
MYTH: Fresh fruit is better than frozen fruit.
Fact: Sorry, but this myth is rotten. Fresh fruit can sit around in shipping and storage for up to two weeks before it arrives at your local supermarket; during this time, it loses a good chunk of its nutrients. Frozen fruits, on the other hand, are picked and frozen at the peak of their freshness, retaining all of their nutritional value.
MYTH: Running on a treadmill is better for your knees than running on asphalt or pavement.
Fact: Nope – running is still running, whether it’s on a treadmill in your living room or around the edges of the neighborhood cul de sac. Running is a great workout, but it puts a lot of stress on your knees. To prevent wearing your knees out, alternate running with cardio activities that give your knees a rest, such as using an elliptical machine.
MYTH: If you’re not sweating during a workout, you’re not burning calories.
Fact: No need to sweat bullets over this one – sweating is just your body’s way of cooling itself, and isn’t necessarily related to the number of calories you’ve burned while exercising. For example, you can burn off a good number of calories through low intensity workouts, such as walking or light weight training.
MYTH: Calories eaten after 8PM automatically turn to fat.
Fact: Late-night snackers rejoice – there is absolutely no basis for this myth. The total amount of calories you eat, not when you eat them, determines whether you will gain or lose fat. Generally speaking, you will pack on the pounds if you consume more calories than you burn off throughout the day.
