Harvard professor debunks the biggest exercise myths | Daniel Lieberman
Truth: Working out can reduce overall fat, but you can’t control what part of your body burns the most fat. “Your body breaks down fat and uses it as fuel when you exercise,” Harrison says. “But your body’s not picky. It’ll burn fat from anywhere in your body, not just the part you’re working the most,” Harrison says.Myth: Lifting heavy weights bulks up women. Lifting weights tones and shapes your body – it doesn’t make you look like a bodybuilder. Women have low levels of testosterone so they don’t naturally build massive muscles, Harrison says. “There is nothing wrong with a woman pushing up to 200 pounds on a leg press if she can do it.”
Lifting weights can prevent loss of muscle mass, help build bone density and increases the rate at which your body burns calories to keep you at a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight can help you fight off diseases like cancer. Exercise can erase a bad diet. Exercise by no means makes up for a bad diet,” Harrison says. Diet and nutrition play a larger role than exercise in weight management and cancer prevention. In fact, some foods actually help protect you against certain cancers.
So, don’t treat exercise like an activity that justifies eating unhealthy foods.