The new born fitness freaks tend to come across many fitness myths. The wide array of these fitness myths tend to misguide people on their pursuit of fitness. They often become a little too greedy and start expecting a lot in a short period of time, This leads many people into the path of over training and unwanted supplementation.
Over-training- How much is too much?
I see most new enthusiasts at the fitness center trying a little too hard. They sacrifice their posture because they want to lift extra weights. This might make your muscles swell temporarily for the Instapic of the day, but it is damaging in the long run. You might get a good momentary pump out of it but it leads to long term injuries (quite the opposite of what you get into the fitness regime for).
Your innate instinct of competition might compel you to lift more weight than the others, but you must not sacrifice your posture for it. Study and apply proper form while performing exercises and gradually increase the weight when you are fully confident of maintaining it for all the repetitions.
Persistence and patience are important characteristics of every health related endeavor. You only see the muscular bodies and heavy weights that someone manages to lift, but ignore the hard work sacrifice they have made to achieve it.
You cannot learn to be the fastest sprinter in a day or the fastest swimmer in a week, what takes time, takes time. Don’t expect miracles by over punishing yourself. Every individual has a unique genetic make up and body function. The way they respond to different exercise and nutrition varies, hence you cant compare yourself with anyone else.
Only compete with yourself, and try to improve every day. Keep in mind good posture is paramount, and persistence always pays.
The truth about supplementation
Supplementation and nutrition is mostly misunderstood. Improper counselling, aggressive product marketing and demand for a short cut approach are the biggest contributors to this confusion. It is to be understood that you cant just supplement your way to a better body. There are no shortcuts. You might get tempted to try steroids, fat burners etc, but remember what grows fast, goes fast.
Rather than being dependent on supplements from the on set, it is advisable to give your body the freedom to express itself fully before going in for something extra. Once you think that your body has reached its absolute limit with a normal diet, only then go in for whey proteins and other supplements.
Even then it is advisable to research thoroughly before choosing a supplement. As every individual has a specific system the same supplements and even foods would effect them differently. For eg. someone might be lactose intolerant while for others milk would work like an elixir.
Stick to the basics
If you manage to control the desire to show off and keep your expectations in check, you would go a long way in surpassing your health expectations. One way of doing this is sticking to the basics. A balanced diet, proper sleep and well postured workout is the key. Be dedicated, be patient and sacrifice short term pleasures like taste for a better mind and body.
Don’t get influenced by the people around you or the ones trying to sell you things. It is not important for you to be the one lifting the most weights in the gym. What is more important is to lift with the best form. Similarly it is not essential for you to run 10 miles a day, just find your limits and go a step further the next day.
The easiest way of getting better with your pursuit of fitness is by beating your personal best every week. This can include lifting 5 pounds more in the next set, one extra rep of the pull or push up everyday, or simply running 1 km more than the previous week. Improvement can only be assessed against one self. This gives you the best idea of your progress and helps you enhance yourself infinitely.
Devote yourself to the discipline and find a guru
Fitness rather than being a modern day trend is more of a discipline. It requires all the attributes that one needs while pursuing a new branch of knowledge. You have to respect the discipline and devote yourself fully in order to reap maximum benefits. Hence short cuts and cheating go out of the window. Also it is very essential to discover a guru.
These people are not that difficult to find. They outshine the others, not by virtue of words or marketing schemes but by their demeanor. They don’t advertise themselves because they don’t need what you have, they only want your betterment.
A guru will always leads by example. He would practice what he preaches, so he would never have a big belly. He would push you beyond what you believe you are capable of. He would offer customized solutions to your generic problems, He would help you even he doesn’t get anything out of it. Don’t be shy when you are lucky enough to meet someone like this. Seek their assistance and I am sure they will be happy to help. Gurus know that knowledge is a waste if it is not shared. They will share their experiences and help you overcome other fitness myths as well.
Break the bubble
A mixture of partial knowledge and public opinion puts you in a bubble. You tend to start believing things that aren’t actually true. You need to garner more knowledge from credible resources and believe in yourself. This would enable you to break the bubble of fitness myths.
Just try to get better every day and give it your all. If you manage to persist for long enough you would surprise yourself with the progress that you make.