Health, Welness, and Fitness Myths Debunked
If you ask one hundred different people for health advice, they will probably tell you one hundred different things. But how do you know what to trust and what to discard?
As we keep this and other questions in mind, let us look at three health, wellness, and fitness myths debunked.
You Should Always Listen to Your Doctor
In the United States, it takes an average of eleven to twenty years to become a specialist in the medical field of your choice. Along with a four-year undergraduate program, you also need to attend medical school for another four years and then enroll in a residency program lasting anywhere from three to seven years. And this doesn’t even take into account the fellowship program most physicians join when they are done with their residencies.
As you can see, it is no easy task to achieve, and those who do itdeservethe high salaries they get. Whether they are working in a public hospital or have decided to find the right place, get the necessary medical tools and instruments, and set up their own practice, they have put in the time, effort, and diligence to grind through the process. Besides, they are helping others like you and me live better, happier, healthier lives.But that doesn’t mean they are always right, and you should listen and abide by every single word they say. Like all other human beings, they also make mistakes.
Of course, a reputable doctor will know much more than you. Yet, your body is your own, and nobody can understand how you feel better than yourself. As such, ask your doctor questions when you don’t understand something and make him explain the reasons behind his choices. And don’t stay quiet if you disagree. Sometimes your instincts and common sense are the best tools at your disposal.
Fat, Muscle, Exercise, and Weight Loss
To achieve a god-like physique for his role as Achilles, the Greek hero of the Trojan War in Homer’s The Iliad, Hollywood’s leading man Brad Pitt went through an exhausting six-month training program that included strength training and cardiovascular endurance and a specific, detailed nutritional plan. Legend says that the fat percentage in his body when the movie was shot was an astounding five percent. To put this number into perspective, the average American male has a fat percentage of thirty, many times even higher.
Having said that, we can jump into the first part of this section, namely that the less fat you have, the better. Naturally, a fat percentage of more than twenty or twenty-five will do more harm than good. But a stable number ranging between the early to late teens can actually benefit you physically, not to mention improve your state of mind.
As many experts will tell you, the right amount of fat not only protects your organs and supports cell growth but also keeps cholesterol and blood pressure under control, energizes your body, and allows it to absorb essential nutrients.
The second part deals with muscle and weight loss. Maybe you’ve heard many people at your local gym saying that they don’t want to lift weights because they fear they will build muscle instead of losing weight. For them, it is a much better proposition to engage in cardiovascular exercise.
Sadly, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Aside from an aesthetically pleasing physique, building muscle will help you lose weight. It requires more energy, thus burning more calories than only running, swimming, or riding a bike.
Focusing onWell-beingand Mental Health
The last section of our article deals with the balance between your body and your mind. Arguably the biggest piece of misinformation today regarding health and wellness is that being overweight and unhealthy is a physical matter. Likewise, getting back into shape and adopting a better lifestyle with cleaner eating habits is also something you can manage by focusing on your body.
While eating too much junk food or lying on the couch for hours and days on end will lead to obesity, the reasons you eat and cannot force yourself to get up often have nothing to do with your ability to move. Instead, they are issues related to your thought process and your feelings.
The vast majority of people don’t eat too much because they are starving. They do it as a coping mechanism for anxiety, a stress-reliever, or for reasons only found in their past. Hence, we should concentrate on how we feel on the inside and how this mirrors our behavior on the outside. If we can do that, physical changes will follow.
If you want to be happier and healthier, listen to your doctor but also trust your instincts. And learn about physical exercise. Finally, look at yourself on the inside, where you are now, and the changes you want to make.
