December 12, 2022 · 8 min · 1616 words · Derick Cable
Does yoga ease—or cause—pain?
The Confusion Last January, The New York Times published a controversial article that contradicted the proclamations of yogis everywhere about this ancient discipline’s power to heal. Instead, the article claimed yoga may be too high-risk for most people. Lower back pain was among the most common injuries sustained during practice, according to a 2009 Columbia University survey of yoga teachers, therapists and doctors cited by the article. At the same time, many of America’s nearly 16 million yoga practitioners insist it relieves all kinds of pain—from mental stress to physical ailments.
The Reality Yes, like any exercise, you can get hurt doing yoga, but the benefits of doing it correctly are well-researched and proven. Take the 2009 report published in Spine, for example, showing that after six months of twice-weekly practice, adults with chronic lower back pain reduced their pain by 42%. And according to a 2011 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, three months of regular yoga practice resulted in 30% more ease in performing everyday tasks in people with chronic back pain.
The Bottom Line Don’t drop yoga, just choose a better instructor. “Yoga is becoming so mainstream that people are getting trained to teach in literally a weekend,” says Gwen Lawrence, a yoga teacher and creator of the new DVD series, Fit Body Yoga. “Check out the Yoga Alliance to find certified yoga instructors who have 200 to 500-plus hours of experience.”
MORE: Pain-Relieving Yoga Poses
Should you work out on an empty stomach?
The Confusion We know that food fuels us. But if you’re looking to lose weight, some people—possibly those who read the 1999 bestseller Body for Life—believe exercising with a growling tummy may help burn fat faster. “The rationale behind this theory is that low glycogen levels cause your body to shift energy utilization away from carbohydrates toward fat,” says Keri Peterson, MD, a medical contributor to HealthiNation.
The Reality This theory holds no weight in the scientific community. “Results of studies show that with low-intensity to moderate exercise, fat burning remained the same for up to 90 minutes in both fasting and non-fasting subjects,” says Dr. Peterson. Need further proof? Working out with or without food in your tummy won’t affect the amount of fat you torch—but not eating before working out may cause muscle loss if you do it regularly, according to the February 2011 issue of Strength and Conditioning Journal.
The Bottom Line When your body is famished, it kicks into survival mode and starts using muscle—like those abs you’ve been working on—as a source of protein. Do your bikini body a favor and make sure you have a light meal or sports drink to raise your blood sugar before exercise.
MORE: What To Eat Before And After Workouts
Hit the gym or the sack when sick?
The Confusion Mom will tell you to eat chicken soup. Doctors will say get plenty of rest. But your friends may preach that the best remedy is to sweat it out when you’re sick. Who’s right?
The Reality “Based on…lots of case study data on athletes, we’re telling people, if the symptoms are from the neck up, such as the common cold or runny nose, something easy, like a brisk walk, won’t hurt or help,” says David C. Nieman, PhD, director of the Human Performance Lab at North Carolina Research Campus. However, if your symptoms are below the neck, like a fever, wide-spread muscle weakness and tiredness, it’s time to rest. “A systemic, viral illness like that can be harmful to your heart. Also, exercise might prolong these symptoms,” he says.
The Bottom Line Prevention is the best medicine. People who exercise aerobically on a near daily basis have a 43% reduction in the number of days they were sick, according to a study Dr. Nieman published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Will marathon running wreck your body?
The Confusion Part of the allure of running 26.2 miles straight is to get in the best shape of your life. But training, and even race day, can be downright painful. In 2009, more than 165,000 people were treated for running-related injuries, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The best-selling book Born to Run acknowledged runners’ physical concerns and helped sparked the barefoot running trend as a form of injury prevention.
The Reality As with any sport, there are risks. Every time you run, you carry six to eight times your body weight across your ankle joint. This can lead to stress fractures, peroneal tendon tears, Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, among other issues. But it’s possible we’re simply more aware of running injuries because so many of us do it: nearly 50 million Americans are logging 24.4 miles, on average, a week. But the risk of a running injury is no higher in running than in any other sport, says Lewis G. Maharam, MD, the past medical director of the NYC Marathon and author of Running Doc’s Guide to Healthy Running.
The Bottom Line Lace up for the long haul! Just be sure to warm-up and cool down afterward, replace your sneakers every 300 to 500 miles, and check your running form (visit GoodFormRunning.com for a step-by-step guide) to improve your efficiency and reduce your chance of injury.
How important is warming up, really?
The Confusion Warming up before an activity has been drilled into your head since elementary school. But lately, you’ve read that static stretching before exercise may increase your risk of injury. Rather than loosening muscles and priming them for a workout, you may be tightening them, making it harder to move freely.
The Reality While there’s some truth to the new research—studies have found that static stretching before playing a sport may make you slower and weaker by as much as 30%—you shouldn’t rule out warming up altogether. Instead consider adding dynamic stretching to your fitness routine. “Static stretching causes muscles to relax, and inhibits them from firing for up to 60 minutes. With dynamic stretching, you’re firing up muscles and, simultaneously, increasing circulation, heart rate, and flexibility,” says Sergio Rojas, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and owner of Redefined Fitness and Physical Therapy in Chicago. “So if you’re about to go for a jog, pull one knee up to your chest, while standing, and alternate for a few reps on each side; then stand on one leg and kick the other back and forth, slowly building up speed and range as far back and forth and high as possible to create buffer zones between the nerve endings and the muscle tissue that will make jogging easier.”
The Bottom Line “You should always warm the muscles up for whatever they’re about to do,” Rojas says. “And after an intense workout, it’s good to do both static and dynamic stretches again to prevent tightening.”
MORE: 9 Exercises You’re Doing Wrong
Cardio vs. weights: Which is better?
The Confusion Popular belief has long held that cardio is for burning fat and weight lifting is for bulking up. But in recent years, more and more trainers are emphasizing that females need to pick up dumbbells to get toned. Just ask strong-armed first lady Michelle Obama, who does hammer curls and other iron-pumping moves to keep her arms in great shape.
The Reality It takes 22 minutes for your body to move on from food to fat as fuel during a cardio workout. If you’re only hitting the treadmill for 30 minutes that means you’re only torching flab for 8 solid minutes. With weight lifting, on the other hand, you can train your body to chew the excess fat for 24 hours a day, even at your desk. “When you do weight lifting, you’re building lean muscle which raises your resting metabolism, so that you’re burning fat all day long,” says Jen Cassetty, an exercise physiologist with the American College of Sports Medicine.
The Bottom Line Cassetty always has her clients do strength training first, when you have the energy to maintain good form, for at least 30 minutes before moving on to a cardio workout.
Is spot-training a myth?
The Confusion If you’re already told yourself that this will be the summer you’ll wear a bikini, you might think a 500-crunches-a-day routine is the best way to get a six-pack in time. But you’ve also read that spot training is impossible, so will working your core with a ton of belly workouts really do anything to tone your abs?
The Reality “The general consensus for a long time has been that you need to lose body fat all over in order to see results in one particular area,” says fitness guru Robert Brace, an expert on the Food Network’s show Fat Chef. However, some limited research says it’s possible to target your flabby parts. One study found that when you work a certain body part, more blood flows to the subcutaneous fat cells in the working muscle—which means more fat gets burned. “This is one of the few studies that suggests that when you exercise, you can burn fat more preferentially from the area that you’re training,” Brace says. “But that’s an extreme way to get those results.”
The Bottom Line A quicker, more effective and less extreme way to get spot-on results is to try interval training, like this fat-burning workout. “New studies suggest that interval training is one of the fastest ways to build endurance and boost your metabolism, which means you’ll end of burning body fat, including in the desired areas, at an elevated rate,” Brace says. You’ll firm up all over while revealing sculpted abs in time for summer.
MORE: Target Your Deepest Ab Fat
