Fitness Myths vs. Realities

There is a concept in Zen Buddhism known as "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind". The basic idea is that in order to truly absorb new information, we must release our long-held preconceptions. But that's not so easy to do when you've been bombarded by misinformation so often and for so long that the mere familiarity with garbage, masquerading as fact, creates belief. I can't think of a single area of knowledge more fraught with erroneous assumptions than exercise and nutrition. In fact, multi-billion dollar industries are dedicated to fattening their wallets while promising to make you (instead of just your bank account) lighter. But, if you are willing to put what you may accept as fact aside for a moment, I'd like to create a little bit of enlightenment that won't require you to take out your credit card.

Over the next three posts, I'll explore a few of the most popular (and incorrect) widely-held beliefs about how to get lean. And then, the truth:

1. Aerobic Exercise Makes you Lean.
Not exactly. While a few hours of cardio at a moderate or higher level of intensity each week will certainly burn several hundred calories, you can easily eat enough calories to compensate for that and stay fat. There are overweight marathon runners and very lean people who never exercise. It's not so much differences in genetics or even exercise habits alone, but whether they create a calorie deficit day after day or build and maintain a calorie surplus. It's actually much easier to create a 500 daily calorie deficit through dietary discipline than by exercising endlessly and not controlling nutrient density and total food intake. That's what bodybuilders do to get very lean with a minimal amount of cardio (to avoid diminishing muscle mass). You can do it too.