A boost for women’s cycling, learn more about your fitness levels with a session in a 3D scanner at Haddins Fitness, and go paintballing in Ghantoot

Three experTs unpick common healTh and fiTness myThs

Runners should only run, swimmers should only swim, and so on… That couldn’t be further from the truth. Even elite-level athletes incorporate multiple disciplines, as the skills, strength and flexibility gained cross over and enhance performance in their chosen sport. One of the biggest problems that people face with exercise is boredom, so the more variation, the merrier. It keeps your training schedule exciting and who knows, you might stumble across another sport that you love but you never would have tried if you’d stuck to the same old routine day in, day out. Now we have so many options with apps such as Guava Pass ( guavapass.com), which allow you to do crossfit on Sunday, pole dancing on Monday, martial arts on Tuesday and so on. The options are endless, so get out there, try something new, and reap the benefits. You need to go gluten free if you really want to lose weight The gluten free diet has become a popular weight loss strategy but while it is vital for people suffering from celiac disease and gluten intolerance, I wouldn’t recommend it to lose weight. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, so mainly in sources of starchy carbohydrates such as bread and pasta. By going gluten free, many people have to try a high protein diet and decrease sources of carbohydrates, which is likely to cause weight loss. But for people who don’t suffer from any gluten-based condition, cutting out whole grain products means missing out on the benefits, such as reduced risk of coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Gluten boosts the body’s immune function. This is the reason why health professionals don’t want to see people on gluten free diet unless absolutely necessary. You must train every day to achieve your goals Rest days are just as important as all those times you go out and exercise – without a few days of taking it easy, your muscles won’t heal. And the knock on effect of that is your performance in the future will decrease if you don’t give your muscles time to recover. That’s why so many people who over train can potentially injure themselves – or even worse, they can get demotivated and then they quit. Some people, for example, decide they’re not a runner because they aren’t improving quickly enough, but patience is the key when you undertake a fitness regime. You need to be patient and give your body time to recover. Many self-conclusions are made and we often have to tell our patients the opposite of what they believe.