Busted! Fitness Myths
By Fitsmi January 5


Yesterday we debunked some popular food and nutrition myths and today we’re tackling fitness rumors with the help of some fit bloggers. Read on for the facts.

1. MYTH: You can take weight off of specific body parts by doing exercises that target those areas.
Spark People says: This concept is called “spot training” and unfortunately, it doesn’t burn fat. When you lose weight, you are unable to choose the area in which the reduction will occur. Your body predetermines which fat stores it will use. For example, doing sit-ups will strengthen you abs but will not take the fat off of your stomach. Similarly, an activity like running burns fat all over your body, not just your legs. You can, however, compliment a balanced exercise program with a selection of weight training exercises to gradually lose weight and tone the body.

2. MYTH: Muscle turns into fat.
Yahoo! Health says: Muscle and fat are two completely different tissues that have different functions, so it’s physiologically impossible to turn one into the other. If you stop exercising, your muscles atrophy, so you lose the tone you worked so hard to create. And if you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain fat.

3. MYTH: Water-fitness programs are mainly for older adults or people with injuries.
MyOptimumHealth.com says: Research has shown that exercising in water can be a challenging and effective way to get fit and lose weight. It’s good for just about anyone.

4. MYTH: If you’re not sore the next day, you didn’t work out enough.
Really Useful Fitness Blog says: The self-suffering adage “No pain, no gain” simply isn’t true. “You should be sore for only the first few days of a new exercise routine, because your muscles aren’t used to the activity,” says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness research director of the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts. In fact, if you exercise consistently, feeling sore means you’ve overextended yourself — you’ve gone above and beyond where you need to go, and it makes sense to take a day off, says Shay McKelvey, R.N., M.S., a spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise.

5. MYTH: Overweight people have a sluggish metabolism.
Yahoo! Health says: Though some folks do have metabolic disorders that slow their metabolism, fewer than 10 percent of overweight people suffer from them. In fact, the more you weigh, the more calories you’ll burn during exercise at the same relative workload as a slimmer person. If you notice the scale climbing higher, worry about your activity level, not your metabolism.

Photo by: JacobEnos