Sports: 11 Truths and Fallacies

Sport is murder – this statement has long ceased to be valid. Sports activities in moderation not only help to increase the physical well-being, but also have a positive effect on the psyche. You feel younger, more balanced and healthier. Regular endurance training also has a beneficial effect on the brain, can lower blood pressure and strengthen the immune system. But that’s not the only misconception about sports. We shed light on eleven sports myths in our fact check.

1. who does sport, can eat everything.

Who is physically active and does a lot of sports, the fat in the food can not do so much. But even athletes should not feast without restraint if they do not want to put on fat. After all, if you eat more than you consume, you gain weight. By the way: if you do sports, it is quite normal that you initially gain weight, because muscles are heavier than fat.

2. training progress must hurt

The breath whistles and the calves burn like fire: if you train like this, you are training wrong. A high degree of effort nullifies important training effects such as stress reduction and strengthening the immune system. And the famous muscle soreness is not just an over-acidification of the muscles, but a sign of physical overstrain. Sore muscles are caused by tiny injuries in the muscle fibers.

3. the best remedy for sore muscles – the same movement again.

The days when people believed in this are also over today. The troubled muscle now needs its rest. Since we are talking about tiny little injuries to the muscle, gentle movements are recommended nowadays. Light stretching programs or stretching exercises relieve the muscle. Loose jogging, swimming or light gymnastics support the blood circulation of the injured muscle parts, the healing is supported in this way.

4. The more often you exercise, the fitter you will become.

Not true. After longer sporty load must also be a rest period, so that one can regenerate. If you demand maximum performance from your body every day, you are more likely to harm it and also nullify the positive effects of sport. Therefore: insert at least one day of rest.

5. fat burning starts after 30 minutes of endurance sports.

Already after a very short time, fat burning starts during casual endurance running, but with a minimal share of the total energy expenditure. It is only after half an hour that the body begins to draw most of the energy it needs from fat reserves. Therefore, it is definitely advisable to walk or jog for longer than half an hour without a break. Recommended for fat burning are endurance sports three times a week, each lasting 30 to 45 minutes.

6. sport makes slim

Not true. Only those who eat less lose weight. However, exercise is an important and good supplement. Weight training is suitable to increase the basal metabolic rate by building muscle. With a targeted endurance sport one increases the calorie consumption.

7. eating in the evening makes fat

A U.S. research group has found that there is no correlation between the amount of food consumed after 5 p.m. and a possible change in weight. Study participants who ate particularly large amounts of food in the evening did not gain or lose much weight compared to those who dined before 5 p.m. Calories are calories. The body doesn’t care when we eat them. But: it is better for the intestines not to eat anything after 5 p.m., and it is also easier to fall asleep.

8. who sweats a lot, burns fat.

No, by sweating, for example in the sauna, only water is lost, fat is not broken down. Weight loss results from water loss and this should be compensated quickly by drinking a lot. On the other hand, regular endurance training such as swimming, running and cycling ensures optimal fat burning. Important: Only those who run in such a way that they can still entertain themselves burn fat.

9. breaststroke for back problems is healthy

Swimming is healthy, but breaststroke for back problems tends to tighten the muscles around the spine rather than strengthen the back. The reason: the posture of breaststrokehead above water – is not healthy for the back. Only those who put their head in the water for every stroke of the swim are lying correctly, so to speak.

10.There is no point for older people to start doing sports.

The opposite is true.Studies have found that physical training in seniors significantly delays the aging process and additionally promotes mental fitness. Sports that train the whole body are recommended, such as walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, and cross-country skiing. Anyone who has been physically inactive for a longer period of time should have a check-up by a doctor beforehand.

11.Osteoporosis only affects older people.

Osteoporosis, the reduction of bone mass, usually occurs in old age. Quite crucial, however, is whether and how much you exercise when you are young. Up to the age of about 30, more bone substance is built up than broken down. In old age, on the other hand, bone substance is broken down more and more. However, this also means that bones last longer the more bone substance has been built up through exercise and sport in the younger years.