Let’s Bust Fitness Myths
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
We were honored to have yet another fruitful conversation with one of our favorite guests, Dr. Odiatu. We were very excited to kick into the new year with a discussion focused on wellness, specifically busting myths about fitness!
As many may already know, Dr. Odiatu is the author of The Miracle of Health, a professional member of the American College of Sports Medicine, and a practicing dentist in Toronto, Ontario. He has been an invited guest on over 400 radio and TV shows from Atlanta to Alaska, and is also an NSCA-certified personal trainer, and certified boot camp instructor. Dr. Odiatu has given over 400 lectures in England, Canada, the US, the Bahamas, Denmark, Bermuda, and Norway.
It is the beginning of a new year and so many of us may be trying to figure out new fitness goals. Dr. Odiatu joined us to discuss some of the myths surrounding fitness and some advice to kickstart your fitness journey for 2023!
One of the first myths we discussed was the need for a trainer to achieve your fitness goals. In a big city like Toronto, a trainer can cost from $60 to $200 an hour. On average if a Canadian adult makes $16 an hour or less, it would be unrealistic for them to add such a huge cost to their budget. While a fitness trainer can most definitely help you achieve your goals, you do not need one! A simple walking program can lower your risk of heart disease by 47% and you don't need an upper body and lower body CrossFit coach to help achieve that. So while Dr. Odiatu believes that a trainer is a bonus, a person can get into decent shape without a trainer.
Another myth we discussed was that you need to do many hard exercises to achieve your goals. Having a moderate approach to fitness can get you far in your journey. Try doing 3-5 different types of exercises during your gym session than doing too many. Remember that consistency is a huge part of achieving your fitness and body goals.
We also discussed another term called "Exercise bites". Exercise bites are a 30-minute program, which is separated into three ten-minute portions or six five-minute portions. It is challenging, however, Martin Cabella, the king of Exercise Physiology (McMaster University in Ontario) says, doing little packets of activity can be as good or better for you because you sprinkle them throughout the day. It keeps the metabolism stoked to do little bits throughout the day.
We also discussed fitness influencers and how they may sometimes lead to misleading information. We are lucky to live in a time and age where the internet has many sources of information available to us. However, some fitness trainers on the internet may not be professionally trained and that is why it is important to do your own research before you follow such workouts.
However, we do agree the wide array of workout programs for free or affordable subscription fees has allowed more people to start their fitness journey. As we know many people started their fitness journey at home during the pandemic in 2020. One of the huge factors in this was Tiktok and Instagram videos that encouraged users to start their own journeys as well. So while the internet can sometimes be a strange place, it is great we have access to this information and also communities to help us stay consistent in our journey!
In addition, we talked about supplements, which can be controversial. A lot of people argue about whether we need supplements or not, however, there are also many ways to receive these nutrients through natural foods like fruits and vegetables. If you have a deficiency, supplements can help as an add-on to your diet of good quality fruits, vegetables, and hormone-free meats.
Another myth we discussed was that people sometimes think carbs are bad for you. If you ask any nutritionist or dietician, anything in moderation is not bad for you! You want to look at highly processed carbs like processed foods, and sweets that contain sugar, however, processed carbs are not demonic and must be enjoyed! You can try to lower them, or reduce them but increase good carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Creating a balance can help you achieve your fitness goals and overall health goals!
We hope our discussion with Dr. Odiatu was informative and helped bust some fitness myths, as well as help kickstart your fitness journey. Maintaining consistency and keeping your goals simple will make achieving your goals realistic! Our hope is that you all enter 2023 with a new perspective on physical health and work even harder to achieve these goals.
The Forever Young podcast was created and produced by Christiana Egi and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
