Woman to Woman Conference: Fitness Myths

The second workshop I attended during the Woman to Woman Conference this past Saturday was called Fitness Myths and was taught by Shannon Simmons (the Assistant Professor of Human Performance at Corban University). Here's a brief description of the breakout session from the brochure:

No pain, no gain? Walking is for wimps? Feel the burn? Dr. Simmons will help you separate the fitness MYTHS from fitness FACTS as she shares how to get healthy the smart way. Learn what is 'hype' and learn how to live a healthier life that can last the test of time and myths.

This was a great workshop, and for someone who made a New Year's resolution to exercise more (and for someone who is a chocoholic and a "snackoholic" and a "cookieoholic"--you get the idea!), this session offered some awesome tips on how to stay fit for life!

Now, it would be quite a long post if I shared all of the myths vs. truths that Dr. Simmons discussed, but I'll share a few of them along with some fabulous, practical tips on fitness:

Myth # 2: Losing weight = starving (ie: having to feel deprived).

Truth: Losing weight is not about deprivation but about consistency (ex: cut 100 calories a day from your normal diet, lose 10 pounds a year; but note that this works vice versa!).

Myth # 4: Late night eating causes weight gain.

Truth: Focus on the calories, not the time of day. (Consider your caloric intake for the whole day. A little healthy snack at night if you're hungry--preferably of two types, like a fruit and a carb--is fine if you ate well-balanced meals throughout the day. But don't eat too little during the day and then load up during the night!)

Myth # 8: I need a lot of equipment [to work out properly].

Truth: Move your body! Just get active. Equipment, the gym, etc.--all those sorts of things are nice and useful, but the point is just to get moving in some way!

At the end of the session before the Q & A time, Dr. Simmons discussed tips for living an overall healthy lifestyle, which made a lot of sense to me. Here are some of them:

• Short term does not equal success.
  
• Change one small thing at a time.
• Find a healthy lifestyle that suits you, not someone else.
  
• Be yourself; enjoy the journey.

I confess that I felt kind of like an expert after this session, and I'm afraid I offended someone recently by putting down their personal effort to try and be healthy. I don't want to do that again, so please note that I don't have all the answers. (I'm sure you were quite aware of that before!) ;) I was just really encouraged by Dr. Simmons' talk, and I think she had a lot of helpful advice to share!

Sometimes it's daunting to think about trying to be healthy. But just consider making one small life-change at a time. For example, Dr. Simmons talked about replacing one unhealthy food you eat everyday with a healthier option (except for one day a week, in moderation).

Or perhaps you could establish a short exercise schedule a few days a week that you enjoy and that you can do rain or shine, every week. For me so far this year, it's been the video workout I brought with me to school this semester--I can work out in my room three days a week without worries. And the best part of all? I enjoy it! It's fun! If you can find something fun to do to get moving, you are golden! ;)