Social media has thrown at us a multitude of “get fit quick” myths and products that will never actually benefit the general public as promised. 

Weight loss pills

“Weight loss pills are dietary supplements. Dietary supplements are meant to support your diet, not to be depended on,” said Brandon Ly, men’s physique competitor and representative for Asian Fitness and Motivation said.

Ly pointed out that the natural way is a better route to go when trying to reach personal weight goals.

“Truthfully, people who rely on weight loss pills end up forgetting about their diet and when you forget about your diet, there’s nothing for your dietary supplement to support,” Ly said. “As long as you eat right, you eat clean, you eat smart, your body will respond better than without it.” 

Starving is not an option 

It is important to track if you are consuming all the essential nutrients your body requires to function properly. Ly explained that the body is constantly growing and it feeds on proper nutrition to grow physically and mentally. 

“People try to take away food, thinking that it will brush their calorie intake and because of that, your body will not get enough nutrition,” Ly said. “As long as you know what to eat, you don’t need to worry about your calorie efficiency.”

Ly said that starvation will lead to a lack of muscle growth and bone structure — it will cause more damage to the body than progression.

“When your body starts to starve, its basically saying that it needs to burn off energy. This is where nutrition comes to play,” Ly said. “Without it, your body is storing more fat to always find energy to feed off of.”

Switching it up

Running can be misunderstood as the only effective cardio technique to burn calories and even though running is an effective cardio choice, it is also important to mix up your workout routines frequently to avoid a plateau. It is also important to know that there are other forms of cardio besides steady-state running.

“We go off the client’s goals, every person that I meet with, they have a set goal to reach,” said Joseph Reeve, junior in supply chain management and ISU personal trainer. “If someone is trying to loose weight, we’re not just going to have them run the whole time. They’re going to use muscle that they didn’t even know that they had.” 

Incorporating weightlifting is also an effective technique to adopt.

“In order to perform your best talent, you have to be able perform physically at your best as well, and weightlifting is a wonderful activity,” Ly said.

Good eating

Should you eat a doughnut after a hard workout because you deserve the pleasure? Probably not. Eating unhealthy foods after a workout is actually not the best solution to regain energy. 

“You body requires glycogen because after you workout, you’re depleting your body of nutrients that you burn off.” 

Ly explained how the body requires healthy nutrition to depend on when replenishing after working out.

“Junk foods have little nutrients but a lot of glycogen which will replenish,” Ly said. “But due to that, you have to understand that you’re putting into your body things like unnecessary fats that will lead to no benefit after a workout.” 

Instead, try enjoying a protein shake immediately after lifting for recovery and eating protein dense main courses sided with vegetables and fruit to incorporate those essential nutrients.

Fats make you fat

Not all fats will make you gain weight. There is a difference between “good” fats — polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats — and fats that you should try to either avoid or limit —saturated and trans fats. Good fats can actually help you burn body fat. So, eat moderate amounts of healthy fats from foods like salmon, olive oil, nuts and seeds and limit intake of saturated and animal fats.

Carbs are bad

There is a difference between complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are foods such as white rice, sugar and white bread that raise insulin levels and give temporary energy as opposed to complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, whole grains, and vegetables give long-lasting energy. Although carbs are a great source of energy, neither type are an ideal late night snack because carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. Because the body will not use all of that energy — fat is stored energy and calories are measurements of energy — it will automatically store the carbohydrates as fat.

Waist clinchers

Waist clinchers are great to wear under clothing but claiming that it will actually shape your body is untrue. Waist clinchers are supplied to modify the body shape, not to actually remove unwanted fat. The only way to truly burn fat is to eat right and work out.

“Lose 10 pounds in 10 days”

Companies will do anything to make a profit, even if their products have little to no benefit for its consumer.

Skip the program and find healthier ways to create a personal diet that will benefit your body for life. Programs that tend to “work” are only short-term fixes.

“Typically, you can use some programs as a jump-starter, but once you start eating regular foods again and heading back to your regular diet, you will probably put the weight right back on,” said Tyanez Jones, lecturer of kinesiology. “In the long run, you just have to change your eating habits and keep that consistent.”

In order for a person to consistently keep weight off, one must commit to practicing a healthy lifestyle rather than participating in short-term dieting programs.

The body is an art

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither can are bodies be. Building an “ideal” body will take time and patience. 

“We like to set short term goals that are realistic,” Reeves said. “Just constant refers to ‘Look at where you were a month ago, and look at where you are now. With time, everything will come.’”

Ly also believes that both time and patience are everything.

“You’re body is an art — everything in life is an art. But for art, everything takes time. Just like how practice makes perfect,” Ly said. “You can’t build a beautiful sculpture in one day. This is your body, this is your life. If you expect results in a day, then basically it’s like expecting the worst. You’re never going to get the best of what you want.” 

Keeping an awareness of these fitness ideals can help create a healthier lifestyle. Stick with goals that are realistic and remember that confidence and motivation is key to consistency.