42 | The Lion King
Health
Fitness
Myths vs
Facts
By Gabriel Oyemike
T
here are loads of misconceptions (myths or falsehoods)
that people carry regarding fitness (exercising and
healthy eating) and how it affects us. Some of these are
downright ridiculous, whilst some others make for interesting
conversation.
We would take a look at four of them in this edition, whilst the
last four will be covered in the next edition.
Myth 1:
Women who lift
weights will bulk up.
Myth 2:
I am slim and
do not need to exercise.
Fact: Many people think that lifting weights or using
the dumbbells to work out will make a lady look like a
bodybuilder. That is simply false! Women’s testosterone levels
are much lower than men’s (as much as 7-8 times less) so in
most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles.
Both sexes may have the same body structure but different
hormonal make-ups, which means a difference in muscle
strength. Most cases of muscularly built women are often
times influenced by illegal substances.
Studies have shown weight training is a key to prevent-
ing osteoporosis, creating lean muscle mass, raising your
metabolic rate and creating strength. Limiting your heavy
strength training is simply cheating your body out of the
amazing benefits of strength training. So, ladies embrace
weight training as it is a critical element to maintain a healthy
weight, in addition strength training will help you slim down
too!
Fact: We seem to accept the fact that thin people
are fit and only fat people need to use the gym. Just
as you can be overweight (BMI >25) and active, it is
possible to be slim, sedentary and tragically unfit.
Physical Fitness should be the biggest deciding factor
for good health and not just weight loss. A lot of slim
people eat junk and sugary foods with the air of
cockiness that they can eat anything and just be fine
even without leading an active lifestyle.
To be honest, it is only a matter of time before it
manifests. It could either do so by way of secretion of
excess fat in some areas of the body, example, the
midsection, which causes more health risks than fat in
other locations in the body and place such people at
increased risk for diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Also, just because you’re not fat does not mean you
can run for miles or train for 30 minutes. No matter your
weight; cardiovascular or aerobic exercise is good for
you and can improve your health. Done on a regular
basis, cardio reduces your risk of developing chronic
disease, boosts mental health and helps you live
healthier for longer.
