Fresh fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than frozen
Fresh products may not be as fresh as you might think. Weeks have elapsed by the time your produce travels from farm to store to your plate, during which time nutrients are lost. Processing and packaging happens almost immediately after harvest, securing more nutrients in frozen products, making it a good alternative. There are certain seasons for fresh produce making it difficult for you to get your hands on quality items year round. However, you must be cautious of frozen brands with added salt or sugars/juices.
You shouldn’t eat after 8pm
Your metabolism has no sense of time. Late night eating gets a bad rap because foods that are typically consumed at night are calorie-dense such as chips, ice cream, and pizza. A calorie is a calorie, no matter the time you eat them…what matters is the quality and quantity. The bottom line: weight gain=taking in more calories than your daily caloric needs.
You will burn more fat if you don’t eat before a workout
When you start on an empty stomach, it’s true that you will burn fat right away, but it’s also true that calories are what enables you to work out at your best. A study compared two groups of cyclists; some ate before their workout and the others fasted. While the group who fasted did end up burning more fat, the group who ate cycled at a much higher intensity than the fasting group, and burned more calories. A person needs fuel to run, just like a car, so it’s best to eat energy packed foods to workout at your hardest and reap the most benefits. However, you should eat at least 30 minutes in advance to avoid cramps as exercise pulls blood away from the stomach and to the muscles.
Low-fat milk has less calcium than full-fat milk
Calcium is in the watery part, not the creamy part, therefore skimmed and semi-skimmed milk actually have more calcium. Skimmed milk is the best choice for weight loss because it is lower in fat and has 10mg more calcium per 200ml full-fat milk. Full-fat milk is best for children and adults who are underweight.
Bottled water is better for you than tap water
Bottled water generally contains decreased levels of minerals compared to tap water. Many bottled waters don’t contain fluoride which strengthens teeth. Unless you live in a third-world country, tap water is cheaper and healthier (for you and the planet!).Invest in a filter if you are concerned about the quality coming from your faucet.
You shouldn’t drink water with meals
It is believed that water during a meal will dilute the digestive juices and interfere with digestion. The truth is, while you shouldn’t drink excessive amounts, a glass with your meal will help cover your food more easily with digestive juices and actually improve digestion. The human body can manage to digest nearly anything and will compensate for the water intake with more digestive fluids if necessary. If it was a fact that the body can’t digest correctly with the consumption of water, then how would we be able to digest water dense vegetables and fruits and liquid based smoothies and soup?
A steady paced jog for 30+ minutes is the best form of cardio
High intensity interval training (HIIT) increases mitochondrial capacity and the amount of mitochondria you produce which is exactly what you want in order to enhance your metabolism. The more mitochondria you have, the more active they are and the greater oxidative capacity you will have for fat loss. With HIIT you burn calories at the moment you are working out but you also boost your metabolism by increasing the mitochondrial density of your muscle which ultimately allows you to burn more calories all day. On the other hand, a long steady pace jog will only burn calories at that precise moment; there’s no change in your metabolism and your body adjusts to that intensity, making it hard to lose fat. A slow steady pace doesn’t create muscle retention because it doesn’t stimulate muscles the same way as if you were lifting weights. A fast pace causes hip flexion and knee extension which are weightlifting movements, making it another way to overload the muscle. Doing high intensity exercise activates muscle fibers, priming them for growth, but most people have a hard time committing to such exercise because of the uncomfortable feeling that comes from max energy expenditure. Combining HIIT and long slow jogs on a rotational basis throughout the week is the best formula.
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