Apart from purely aesthetic reasons, being overweight is also an indicator of poor health. Whilst a lean and skinny body also has the propensity to be unhealthy, a heavy body will physically harm your body. Your tendons and joints will take the brunt of your physical exertion, especially if your workout routine does more harm than good. A heavy body will also make physical activities significantly harder and more often than not, this has caused several to fall off the bandwagon to only return to their unhealthy weights.

If you wish to shed those pounds via exercise, you’d need to know what are some of the exercises that may not be as effective as you thought they were. We’ve gathered and debunked 4 myths about the relationship between weight loss and exercise, and reveal the truths behind them.

Myth 1: Belly Fat Melts Away When You Do Crunches

Crunches have been the proposed solution for those who wish to slim their waistline. It’s a popular exercise as it works out your abdomen area. However, that cannot be further than the truth.

The fact of the matter is that crunches don’t actually burn belly fats. Since they elicit and work out only a localised small group of muscles, specifically the rectus abdominis, you’re not targeting your entire belly. Furthermore, there’s very little metabolic work done, which translates to breaking down little to no fat cells. Abdominal movements, unfortunately, don’t burn stomach fat.

Myth 2: Any Form Of Exercise Is Effective For Weight Loss

Similar to how crunches are not effective when losing belly fat, not all exercises will help you in losing weight. There are exercises that are designed to lose weight, but there are several others that meant to stretch or strengthen.

The exercise that will benefit you will be those that will improve your metabolic rate. Cardio routines are especially great at increasing your metabolism. That said, ensure that you don’t overcompensate and overwork your body. High-intensity cardio exercises pose the risk of incurring musculoskeletal injuries. Rather than exposing yourself to this risk, you’d have to exercise moderately throughout the day. Especially if your body weight is heavier than most, your joints and tendons are especially vulnerable. Thus, start slow and increase the intensity in increments. For instance, rather than running, opt for a 20-30 minutes walk 3-4 times a week. You’ll notice significant weight loss in a matter of weeks!

Myth 3: An Exercise Regimen Is A License To Eat Anything

You may have adopted an exercise regime and figured out what truly works and what don’t. However, you realised that your weight hardly budges. Perhaps, you should take a look at your eating habits.

Often, many perceive that once they religiously work out, this gives them the license to eat absolutely anything. That isn’t necessarily correct. Whilst there is slightly more freedom for your dietary choices, all this means is that you don’t need to limit yourself to just salads and chicken breasts.  Review your diet and exclude harmful and unhealthy foods, such as soft drinks and desserts. Ensure that your meals are clean. Otherwise, you can have fun eating anything and everything, so long as your physical activities make up for it!

Myth 4: Once You’ve Lost Weight, You Can Put It In The Backburner

Several weight loss treatments in Singapore are popular because they promise results within a short time. And most often, they do! However, there’s a real and subtle danger that lies within rebound weight.

Apart from suffering from health conditions such as hypothyroidism, excess weight often comes from poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. If you don’t change the latter, the chances of getting a relapse are high. Even after opting for slimming treatments, ensure that inculcate habits that will help you maintain a healthy weight. For instance, you could consider TCM slimming; it’s a natural slimming treatment without any side effects!

Whilst these 4 common myths have been debunked, you’d need to research into the types of exercises that will benefit you and your body. Have a look at the different types of muscles that are activated. Remember not to target only one type of muscles and always have various exercise regimes. It takes a while but your body will thank you for it.