Over the hills and far away lived an ape-like creature called Bigfoot. He was tall, dark and fluffy. He also had really, really, ridiculously good looking feet. They were of a size most men dreamed to wear. Like many men, he also went under different aliases: Sasquatch, Bigfoot and Yeti. He lived in the forest and shied away from human life…

You’re not believing any of this, are you? Now why do you believe everything you see on TV, huh?! You don’t even know that man or lady on the advert with the nice voice. In fact, you can’t even see who they are! As for those scientists who did all the research… they’re not even real scientists. They’re actors playing dress up. So, let me get this straight… You will believe somebody whose name you don’t even know, whose face you can’t even see, but you won’t believe me? Is that logical? No. I’m glad you agree with me. Now why are you being illogical? “Because I’m stupid.” Right, now that we’ve cleared the fur from your eyes I can uncover the mysteries surrounding some old myths that people STILL believe:

Myth no1:

Fat turns into muscle

Just like a R5 piece can’t turn into gold, fat can’t turn into muscle… Muscle and fat are very different types of tissue. You have to build muscle with weighted training and fat you gain through eating! We cannot turn one into the other.

Myth no 2:

Chocolate being healthy is like that body you’ve always dreamed about… Too good to be true!

Let’s get this straight; chocolate is not going to give you acne Contrary to popular belief, there is no link between eating chocolate and acne breakouts. Several scientific studies have disproved this myth. In fact, Dark chocolate is healthy, containing flavanols and antioxidants that benefit health. Researchers in Switzerland reported that eating dark chocolate (39 grams of it) every day for two weeks reduced stress hormones, including cortisol (that stuff I told you about that will give you a fat belly), in highly stressed people. But remember to account for the calories (39 grams provides 235 calories) — or you may be stressed to see extra kilos!

Myth no 3:

I can have Mc Donald’s, but not at night – because the moon will see and get jealous and then make me fat.

Calories don’t differentiate between times of the day. They don’t know if its 8am or if its 8pm. The idea behind not eating too many calories at night is that if you eat too late and go to bed on a full stomach, your body’s metabolism will slow down and not burn the food you just ate. That statement is only somewhat true, and isn’t valid for all people. Your metabolism doesn’t stop while you’re sleeping. If your diet and exercise habits are so bad, that a meal is more likely to turn into fat because you sit at a desk all day, eating it at 5pm versus 7pm isn’t going to change that.

Myth no 4:

Because you’re craving it, your body is in need of its vitamin and mineral stores!

I’ll let you in on a little secret: the mind is a very powerful thing. Sometimes it even tells you things like… I’m craving vitamin magnum, so I must need it! But it’s lying to you, because our emotions determine our cravings. If this myth were true, I’d guarantee you the highest commodity on the stock exchange would be “broccoli”… There’s only one nutrient deficiency that’s associated with cravings in humans: iron. But instead of craving for iron-rich liver or steak, they crave things like ice cubes, clay and even cement.

Myth no 5:

Lifting light weights for higher reps, will magically tone the body attached to your pie-stuffing face

According to the myth, the more reps you perform, the more calories you will burn – making you look leaner. This is the strategy bodybuilders use in the weeks prior to competitions. But this myth is very flawed! Unless you’re on a strict, low-carb, calorie-restricted diet, you’re not going to look anymore toned then you are today. To look ‘toned’, you need to build muscle and then LOWER body fat in order to see muscle definition!

Myth no 6:

A white mark on your nail means ill health.

White spots, indeed, are not a sign of any vitamin or mineral deficiency or eating too much mayo! They’re bruises of a past injury to the base of your nails. By the time the white spot comes out (+-6 weeks after the injury) you’ve probably forgotten about that one time you bashed your hand into that guys face… White spots can also occur from manicures, allergic reactions to nail varnish or sometimes, symptoms of a mild infection.

Myth no 7:

You need a pump… to gain muscle

Your pump is only evidence of how long your muscles have been under stress —it’s not necessarily a sign of growth! As your muscles stretch and contract, they become filled with blood. If you don’t rest them long enough for your blood pressure to drop so that the blood flushes out, you can bask in that buff look for an hour or so. Muscles need LOTS of tension to grow! -> That means pushing heavy weights. Training especially for a pump might mean you’re using weights that are too light and reps that are too high! This leads to muscle fatigue- not overload.*

Myth no 8 continued… 

Myth no 8:

Eggs are deadly weapons of heart destruction!

Beep! Wrong! And you lose 1million dollars because you believe all the crap you see on tv and read in magazines. Though eggs do contain alot of cholesterol in their yolks (+- 211mg per large egg)… And yes, cholesterol does contribute to clogged arteries and heart attacks. Eggs are not bad for your heart. This is why:

For most of us the cholesterol we eat (in eggs or any other food) dont have much impact on raising blood cholesterol; the body simply compensates by producing less cholesterol itself. The leading cause of heart-disease are saturated and trans fats.These falsely accused culprits contain 2 grams of saturated fat (10 percent of the Daily Value) and no trans fats(in 1 large egg)!

**Kris-Etherton (who facilitated in writing the American Heart Association’s diet and lifestyle recommendations) wrote : Limit your cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg daily—less than 200 mg if you have a history of heart problems or diabetes or are over 55 (women) or 45 (men). “If you do the math, that works out to less than an egg a day for this population—more like two eggs over the course of the week,” she notes. “Eggs can fit in, as long as you make room for them in the rest of what you’re eating.”

Myth no 9:

Margarine is better than butter

Unless you buy margarine rich in sterols and stanols (compounds that lower cholesterol) you’re going to get something rich in transfats. Butter is rich in saturated fats and at the end of the day- they do the same thing- raise bad cholesterol! So avoid either.

Myth no 10:

A glass of wine a day keeps the blues away and is also very good for your health!

This seems to be every alcoholics response to, “why are you drinking… alone… on a weekday?” Shame we’ve let you believe this too long, haven’t we Alcohol seems to disrupt folic acid and B-vitamins, which have anti-cancer effects. Women, who indulge even once a day, have a higher risk of getting breast cancer then those who don’t even touch the stuff!

Myth no 11:

Gum WON’T, come out of your bum :-0

So if I swallow this, it will take 7 years for it to come out again? Uhm, if I swallowed anything… and it took a whole 7 years to come out of me, I’d be close to suing somebody! Chewing gum is largely indigestible, but it will make its way through your digestive system at the same rate as anything else you consume.

Myth no 12:

Milk is the best thing for healthy bones because it’s the same colour as my bones.

While dairy products are equipped with calcium and vitamin D which are important for healthy bones, so are dark-leafy greens. Bone health goes beyond calcium and vitamin D, vitamin K is important for bone health (dark leafy greens have it, dairy doesn’t). Magnesium (present in foods like potatoes, cashews, oatmeal and almonds, but missing in dairy products). If you’re searching for good sources of calcium, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, and bok choy are better options instead of milk.

Myth no 13:

And on the 7th day, God didn’t rest, he created this machine.

Ever since I was tall enough to watch TV, I witnessed these amazing adverts with these mystical machines. This one Mark and that one Mark seemed to have all these machines that would transform me into that amazing looking person on the TV! Till I grew up and read Nelly’s blog, and realized I need to get a gym contract and a personal trainer and start dieting. THE END

Hope you all enjoyed the read and that it was somewhat educational as well… By the way, in case you’re still not sure… if you’re still wondering, bigfoot- he doesn’t exist sorry ladies

Nelly

* Some info taken from dr.weil.com , mensfitness.com and eatingwell.com