I am just beginning to realize how little I know about fitness. Here are just three major myths to which I had once subscribed:
(1) It is enough to just "get movin'." Previously, I thought that as long as I fit in some cardio during the day, it is enough to feel good and look good. But it is more complex than that. According to fitness gurus that I follow, building skeletal muscle is just important as building cardiovascular health and endurance. Muscles help you burn more calories just by existing as well as look more toned.
(2) I'm a girl so I must be a pear. Have y'all heard of the body type analogy: apples vs. pears? Pears gain weight in their hip whereas apples gain weight in their stomach area. I had assumed that as a proud carrier of two x chromosomes, I must be in the pear variety, but nope, I'm an apple. Yes, after vainly studying my physique in the mirror, I've determined that I indeed gain a lot of my bulk in my stomach area. This is really, really bad, because this is the type of fat (visceral) that causes heart problems. The other type (subcutaneous) which is more associated with weight gain in the hips, is less dangerous. Well, that stinks.
(3) If I lift, I'll get beefy. Another misconception I had my whole entire life was that if I start picking up those dumbbells, I'm going to end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger of the seventies. My vain butt didn't want that. But I realize now that first, I probably cannot even physically become that bulky. And second, I was imagining all my muscle on top of my current self. In actuality, as I build muscle it will probably be at the same level as where my fat currently is. So it won't really increase my width of existence... if that makes any sense at all. Anyway, I am assured that I won't become the female terminator, because several fitness gurus I follow lift much, much heavier weights than I do and they don't look "bulky."
So there you have it guys, I'm a lifter now :)
What's this, you ask? Vanilla whey protein! There is a Vitamin Shoppe right by my apartment and I decided to go in one day. Saw a lot of different protein powders, from beef-based to soy, in isolate and concentrate forms.
The two guys working there were very helpful. It was completely empty so they were both speaking at me, almost trailing me as I wandered lost-child-like through the labyrinth of a store, explaining the different types of powders and supplements, helping me reach anything taller than 5 feet (LOL). They didn't bother telling me their names so in my head, I named the first guy 'Ceps and the second guy Pec's. The first guy looked like real life version of Pop-Eye after a can of spinach, and the second guy looked like if you ran into his chest, you could end up with a concussion.
Anyway, I couldn't believe the sheer variety of proteins out there. I decided to go with a whey blend (meaning it has isolates and concentrates).
The protein actually tastes really good and adds a hint of vanilla flavoring to my green smoothies. Gives it a more "whole" taste. I started incorporating it into my smoothies yesterday. I dropped 1 scoopful (16g of protein) into a 28 ounce spinach/yogurt based green smoothie and it was very delicious.
The other three packets are just samples that the guys at the Vitamin Shoppe gave me. I have no idea what they are but I am assuming they are also to be mixed into liquids and consumed like normal? In any event, I will report back once I've tried them.
OK, I'm off to the gym now!
