Staying healthy is one of those things that are easier said than done. A healthy person means that one is free from injuries, external and internal. Internal injuries are not only injuries caused by external stress which causes internal bleeding but also injuries sustained by internal organs and body cells brought about by eating the wrong food, inducement of excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages, taking inappropriate drugs/medicines and other harmful substances. External injuries on the other hand refer to any form physical bodily harm which more or less causes swelling, loss of blood or anything that would make one howl from tremendous pain.
One form of staying healthy is having sufficient information about myths and erroneous beliefs about health which resulted to injuries and sometimes death. There are actually a lot of these myths and erroneous beliefs floating around and because had been passed on so many times, had been considered as true by a lot of people.
Myth 1: Lifting heavy weights results to big muscles
For those going to the gym and wants to have super sexy bodies, a lot of young men think that the secret to those well-sculpted biceps, deltoid muscles and abdominal muscles were due to lifting barbells that the big men lift. When the skinny boys attempt to lift those super heavy barbells, it is when injuries are bound to happen. Probably a slipped disc or hernia would develop if they persist on lifting a few inches from the rack or they would tend to drop the weights to themselves. If they don’t injure themselves, probably they would injure passers-by. The muscles of those men who can carry those heavy weights did not grow overnight. It was a product of extreme patience and discipline. They got to that point because they diligently followed a rigorous program along with a necessary high protein-based diet to accommodate expansion of the muscles. Anyone can have big and well-sculpted muscles but it cannot be achieved overnight or in a few weeks. Lifting weights proportionate to one’s size is highly recommended. To avoid injuries of this nature, men who would like to beef up their muscle mass should and must follow all the advices of their fitness trainers.
Myth 2: A good workout is the one that makes you sore the next day
A lot of gym goers would tend to overdo their workout as they feel that their time inside the gym would be wasted if they did not feel sore the next day. Some would argue that feeling sore the next day is the best indicator of muscles expanding. Anything in excess is always bad and that goes also for workouts. On an effort to make the muscles sore the next, many people had gotten torn muscles as a result and wasn’t able to return to the gym until the muscle fully healed.
Myth 3: Only old people die from heart disease
A lot of people give youth a lot of credit but should not be so. Because a lot of young people think they are invincible at their age, they tend to be more careless when it comes to eating unhealthy foods, excessive alcohol drinking and smokes two packs a day. Being young is also a usual excuse young people use not to exercise. There has been a recent study that 1 for every 8 men die of heart diseases while women casualty is 1:24. The study showed that those young people who succumbed to heart disease were usually those who smokes and drinks like there are no tomorrow. If heart disease won’t kill them, drunk driving will.
Myth 4: The sun causes extreme damage to the skin
Popular belief says that exposure to the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer and other kinds of skin diseases. It is not sunshine that causes skin injuries but the depletion of the ozone layer. Sunlight has been around for 4 billion years and has not changed an iota on its intensity and in fact is the only known activator of vitamin D that is badly needed by the body. Admittedly though, the ozone layer that filters ultraviolet rays has never been thinner and so it is really advisable to get some sort of protection like sunscreen lotions with a high SPF number so that the bad effects of ultraviolet radiation could be neutralized. Ultraviolet rays can be absorbed by the body even though not directly under the rays of the sun.
Myth 5: Taking naps are a waste of time
Incidence of insomnia is rising in an exponential rate. A lot of people now have body clocks that get 3 to 4 hours of sleep only. Because so many people lack sleep, incidences of people fainting and suddenly falling down are alarmingly high. There is actually a study by Harvard doctors and NASA about the benefits of short quick naps. Taking quick naps or power naps can actually improve memory functions and help catch up on lost sleep. Taking power naps can definitely avoid injuries not only to the physical body but to one’s career too but be sure to take them during lunch breaks.
