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15 Apr 2008 08:41 AM

What Not To Do

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

It's important when you're making fitness choices that you make the ones that will benefit you the most and that you avoid the ones that will hurt you. By hurt, I don't mean physical soreness because let's face it -- exercise can make you sore and it should make you sore.

But what things should you avoid?

Starvation Diets

I don't care if you lose 5 or 10 pounds by starving yourself, it's just water weight and it comes right back. Starvation diets hurt you more than they help you. Our bodies are programmed for surivval, when food is scarce, our metabolisms slow down in order to store more fat and to utilize the bare minimum of what it must to survive. You won't lose weight on a starvation diet, especially if you're not exercising cause the body burns muscle before it burns fat.

Rabbit Food All The Time

Don't skimp your steak for salad constantly. Protein provides your body with building blocks for muscles, cells and more. Why do you think that chicken soup tastes so good when you're ill? It's chock full of protein. Many protein products like steaks and eggs also have an amino acid in them called leucine. Leucine is a metabolism booster and it helps muscles out as well.

Avoid Muscle Machines

Lots of women I know don't like lifting weights because they're worried about bulking up, but women don't bulk the way men do. Lifting weights is a fantastic way to build up body strength, muscle mass and burn fat. Lean muscle still burns more calories than no muscles, so don't skip that workout if you can help it.

These are just a few things you shouldn't do with some ample advice on what you should. Can you think of other things that you've done that maybe you shouldn't have?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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