There are a lot of health fads nowadays that aren’t as well thought out as you might hope. Discover the truth for yourself with these four common health myths.
Here’s some food for thought. The megacorp that is the fitness industry makes all of its billions of dollars enforcing black-and-white thinking. Stop and think about it for a second; if there wasn’t a one-size-fits-all method 
or an all-or-nothing approach, how would it market books, supplements, and protocols to help YOU lose weight NOW?
All this black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking has not only created a multi-billion dollar industry that is losing the “war” on obesity but has created common health myths that are wreaking havoc on Americans’ health.
Ready to know the truth? Read on!
Myth #1: Sugar is Poison
Sugar is a necessary part of life! Your brain and body rely on sugar to maintain optimum brain function, digest your food, and help you operate at peak performance. Your cells require sugar to create ATP and perform glycolisis, the two processes by which we do anaerobic or aerobic work, and cutting all fruit and sugar out of your diet will put the body into a stressed state. It may result in short-term weight loss, but will create long term ramifications for metabolism and athletic performance.
Instead: for best results, eat moderate, well-timed amounts of fruit, honey, coconut sugar, and organic cane sugar for athletic performance, gut health, and brain health!
Myth #2: Drink 64 Ounces or More of Water Every Day
When you flood the body with water, its response is to flush water out of cells. This means a short-term dehydration, a continuous thirst/pee cycle, and a long-term issue with cellular hydration and metabolism. Most of us consume far more water than we account for in our food and other beverages. Doing protocols like the “gallon challenge” may result in what appears to be a leaner physique, but will actually just create dehydration and long-term stress on your metabolism and digestive tract.
Instead: drink water when you’re thirsty, eat fruit and water-rich foods, and allow your body to take care of the rest.
Myth # 3: More Cardio Burns More Fat
Endurance cardio will force your body into an adrenal response for the time you are working, which will create a detrimental thyroid response and push your body into a stress response. Instead of fat loss, this type of exercise will create long term fat retention, poor sleep, and a suppressed metabolism. In addition, you’ll only burn calories while you’re working! Fifty minutes on the elliptical? You get what you get (which is way less than what the display is telling you, by the way). Thirty minutes of strength training? You could see a metabolic increase of up to 20% for up to three days!
Instead:pick up heavy things! Deadlifts, squats, and pull-ups in conjunction with strategic, short, high-intensity cardiovascular intervals are your best bet for optimizing your body’s ability to burn fat.
Myth # 4: Strong is the New Skinny
As much as I’d love to get behind this slogan, it has created a culture of body shaming that was just as bad as the “get skinny!” regime. Now instead of fighting to be thin, we’re culturally expected to have quad separation, a six-pack, and triceps that rival a body-builder. Fitspiration memes have elevated the extremely lean, muscular look while leaving the rest of the athletic population (by which I mean everyone. You are an athlete.) in the dust.
Instead: strong is just strong, ya’ll. Go feel empowered by what you do. You don’t have to be new skinny, old skinny, or skinny nouveaux. You just be you, because that is amazing.
