Are squats bad for knees? Popular exercise myths debunked

New Delhi: A few women are scared of squats because they are said to be bad for knees. This and more are misconceptions that women have regarding exercises, says an expert.

Fitness expert and nutritionist Neeraj Mehta shares a few exercise myths among women:

* Weight training will bulk up my body: Male and female bodies differ in many ways. Weight training reacts in different ways for both the body types. Male body produces a hormone called testosterone which is essential if you want to gain size. Good news is that female body does not produce this hormone. So chances of getting bulky if you lift weights are nil. Instead, weight training will help you in toning up.

* I should not work out during menstrual cycle: You can and you should workout during your menstrual cycle. Exercising during your periods will help you in reduced abdominal cramps. When you exercise your body releases feel good hormones “Endorphins”, which keeps your brain calm and makes you feel better. However, avoid doing intensive exercise and skip the abs day. Light Yoga stretches, cardio, swimming, light weight training is recommended.

* More sweating means more weight loss: When you sweat, your body releases water and sodium, due to which you feel that you have lost weight. This illusionary weight loss is only temporary and comes back when you rehydrate yourself. Sweating is a mechanism of body for cool down; don’t count more sweating as more weight loss.

* To get a flat stomach, do a lot of crunches: If you want to lose that stubborn belly fat, you have to hit your abdominal muscles from different angles with intensity. Crunches alone would not help you. To reduce the circumference of your belly, you should train your lower extremities as well. Dead lifts and squats are effective exercises to reduce the belly fat. Along with that you should add a lot of other variations such as twisting movements and leg raises.