What is the big secret when it comes to exercising? Turns out there are not many secrets, but do not listen to the outrageous myths that are constantly being thrown around. The nutrition education example I came across is an image that can be used as a flyer or on a poster. On the image it shows the “Top Ten Exercise Myths”. People are constantly hearing what they should eat before they exercise or what they can do to make their workout better. However, many of these “facts” are actually myths. Many people assume they will lose weight or be healthier by listening to these random “facts”, but in reality putting these “facts” into practice is not beneficial. For example, your cardio machine doesn’t really know how many calories you are burning. The machine cannot tell your age, BMI, or fitness level, therefore will not give you an accurate number of calories burned. Another myth many love to believe is you can eat whatever you want as long as you work out. In reality, we need to have a balanced and healthy diet if we want our workouts to beneficial for our body. For all the meat heads out there, you do not actually have to chug a protein shake right after a workout. Yes, protein shakes are beneficial, but the best way to get protein is through food.
The most surprising myth I read on this image was that you have to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach in order to burn the maximum amount of fat. I was very surprised by this because I too fell in the trap of believing this was true. I have read many fitness magazines and articles and this myth has seem to pop-up a lot. In reality, it is important to eat a balanced breakfast prior to working out in the morning because you will be able to exercise for longer and your body’s metabolism will already be working. Your body will burn more fat when your metabolism has already been started.
What I found interesting about this image is how straight-forward the message is. It takes commonly believed exercise myths, busts them, and gives you the facts. The format is so simply and could be easily expanded. If people wanted to hear more real facts versus the myths, the creator of this image could easily make new images or add on to this one. There is a lot of room to expand the knowledge of nutrition to the average person through this image.
The top ten myths about exercise image can be very useful for a variety of people. As a nutrition educator, I would use this image and post it around the gym or grocery store. Many people go to the grocery store or gym every week, therefore it would not go unnoticed. The image is very colorful and contains many pictures. It will grab the attention of anyone and make them want to read it. I also think the fact versus myth style is intriguing. I enjoy seeing the truth versus the usually shocking lies and I am sure others do as well. This particular strategy would reach a wide range of people and help them make better decisions when it comes to staying healthy and exercising.
