When trying to lose weight, you most probably have heard 101 diet and exercise tips to make losing weight go faster. While maintaining an ideal weight and staying active is recommended for seniors to ensure quality of life, bear in mind that anything drastic will do you absolutely NO good and it may even be dangerous considering your age and health status. To avoid health risks, here are some diet myths along with their facts to guide you to healthy weight loss:
MYTH 1: Targeted exercise is more effective than exercising the body as a whole.
FACT: There’s no such thing as targeted exercise especially to a beginner and it can never be good for seniors. It is quite impossible to tell your body to burn fat in certain areas only. If you need to lose weight, aim for the overall body fat instead.
MYTH 2: You need to lift weights in order to lose weight.
FACT: There are many activities you can engage in that will also make you lose weight and tone your body. Even a simple everyday cardiovascular exercise such as jogging or brisk walking can help you shed excess weight.
MYTH 3: The more you sweat, the more calories burned.
FACT: When burning fats and calories, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to sweat the same amount. You only sweat because your body is experiencing a temperature above normal and it needs to cool down. Try exercising in an airconditioned room—you will still burn fats but not sweat a lot.
MYTH 4: Eliminate a certain type of food in your diet, like carbo.
FACT: That is not healthy! If carbohydrate is sooo bad for your body, you won’t see it in the food pyramid! Your body needs carbo just as much as your body needs all the nutrients it can get from your balanced diet. The key is moderation.
MYTH 5: Eat a heavy meal before exercising; you’ll burn it anyway.
FACT: Oh you’ll definitely get a burn—heartburn, that is! While it is not good to exercise on an empty stomach, please take note that digestion takes time so a heavy meal is a big no-no. Take small snacks, enough just to fuel the body while you exercise.
MYTH 6: ALL fats are made equal.
FACT: Granted that most fats are bad for your aging body, there are certain kinds of fat that are recommended to keep your internal system well oiled and working in harmony with one another. As rule of thumb, oils found naturally in food are good, those manufactured are not.
MYTH 7: Smorgasbord on healthy foods.
FACT: Again, moderation is the key to losing weight. Even if you are munching on something healthy, you won’t shed a stone if you continue to gorge yourself with food.
MYTH 8: Eating after 6pm will make you fat.
FACT: It’s not the “eating” part that is the problem, it’s the way your body processes food. You can still eat after 6pm, just as long as it is easily digestible by your body as the body’s metabolism tends to slow down during these hours.
MYTH 9: Herbal weight loss products and preparations are safe.
FACT: There are no hard and fast rules for losing weight except that there is a somewhat higher success rate in doing it the healthy way, that is, exercise and balanced diet. If you are going to introduce something new to your body, it is best to consult your doctor first.
MYTH 10: Skip meals to lose weight.
FACT: A big NO. By now, you should know that skipping a meal is unhealthy. In fact, seniors are recommended to have 8 small meals all throughout the day to satisfy the body and at the same time, be able to maintain an ideal weight.
