4 Fitness Belief That Don't Help

#1 No Pain No Gain.This might be the biggest exercise mantra professionals are trying to get away from. Nobody likes repeating painful experiences, yet it is somehow hardwired into exercise philosophy. Getting benefits of exercise will require pushing physical stress, but exercise is not a pain equals gain equation. Internalizing “no pain, no gain” can lead to total burnout or even worse, injury. Once someone is in the zone, exercise should feel energizing and stimulating, not a torture routine. 

#2 Soreness Means A Better Work Out.Sore muscles are the result of using a muscle group in a way it’s not used to. With repetition, it’s less likely for the same muscle group to be repeatedly sore. But does that mean repeating the exercise isn’t productive anymore? Not at all. The exercise is still building and maintaining muscle, even if it doesn’t hurt 2 days later like it did the first time. Soreness can also indicate being dehydration, lack of minerals, or not enough recovery time. The onset of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is thought to be triggered by movements where the muscle contracted while extending or stretched out. “It’s the active lengthening of muscle fibers under load. It’s like you’re pulling on a rope, and there’s so much force that the rope starts to tear and pull apart." 

#3 A Workout Is 60 Minutes.Most classes are structured to one hour sessions because that’s what makes sense on work schedule calendars. The amount of time working out isn't necessarily connected to the quality of the workout. Ten to fifteen minutes of intentional movement is enough to get a HIIT workout in, or enough to change someone’s stress levels. Even one minute burst micro-work-outs like these have been trending lately. Long workouts can be 90 minutes that go high and low intensity to get a fuller spectrum of an experience. Some unconventional fitness trainers have run sessions that are over whenever the client is "done" whether that means twenty minutes or two hours. 

#4 Meditation is for Yoga Only.Nobody has to “om” to add awareness to your workout. Almost any form of exercise can be a mental exercise as well. Most sports are very mentally engaging. Research shows that exercise is a mood booster and helps with mental clarity. Setting an intention for cardio, lifting, swimming, or trying to develop a new fitness skill set engages the brain to get the most out of a workout. Adding new coordination skills, unplugging from music, focusing on breathing, and intentional awareness about what thoughts/feelings come up during an exercise are all ways to add mindfulness to a non-yoga workout.