35 False 'Facts' That You Wrongly Believe (And 1 That You Should)

9. You Have To Stretch Before Exercise

You don't, actually. Recent research has found that there are numerous reasons why stretching may not be as good an idea as once thought. These are largely dependent on what type of exercise or workout you're about to embark upon, but the overall picture being painted suggests that stretching prior to exercise might not just be unnecessary, it could even be counter-productive. Studies have looked at all kinds of people undertaking all kinds of exercise and come to many astoundingly similar conclusions. For example, one looked at fit men squatting with barbells and found that the ones who hadn't stretched beforehand lifted weights 8.3% greater than those who had stretched. Some weightlifters report feeling wobblier or without as much strength as they might expect during their workout after stretching beforehand. Similarly runners or those using treadmills have reported feeling a weakness in their legs after stretching that doesn't present when they don't stretch. One school of thought suggests that muscles are like rubber bands and that, just as stretching a rubber band decreases its flexibility, so muscles lose some flexibility if overworked prior to the actual exercise commencing. There's also a body of research evidence that shows the neither the likelihood of injury nor the recovery time is reduced by stretching prior to exercise. Some sports medicine professionals even suggest the issues with pre-workout stretching have been understood for quite some time. In most cases, greater emphasis is placed on post-workout recovery stretches, combined with minimal pre-workout stretching.

8. Sugar Makes Kids Go Bonkers

No it doesn't. Ask any healthy eating expert or kid doctor and they'll tell you that a certain amount of sugar in a kid's diet is OK. Sometimes a teaspoon of lightly sugared water can even sooth an unsettled baby. Some kids get too much sugar too often but, even so, lots of research and studies have firmly concluded that sugar doesn't cause hyperactivity. In most children an excessive intake of sugar will do little more than increase their blood-sugar beyond desired levels, at which point insulin will step in to give the sugar short-shrift and get it shuffling off out of the blood cells and into the body cells. The children's blood-sugar levels will drop, sometimes dramatically and quickly. They might get a bit lethargic and testy as a result, but certainly not hyperactive. The potential outcome of the lowering of blood-sugar levels is that it can create cravings for more sugar, which is only likely to make the kids even more testy. But, again, it'll just leave them a bit grumpy, naughty and possibly even bit annoying. But it won't make them hyperactive. If anything, the child's environment is more likely to be the culprit in determining their level of hyperactivity, particularly when surrounded by other boisterous kids.