Fitness Myths: Working Out the Facts

By Tiffiny Twardowsky, MS

1) I can reduce body fat in a certain area buy exercising that specific area.
There is no such thing as "spot reduction." When we lose weight or inches, we will lose it throughout our entire body, not just in one area. We are all genetically predisposed for a certain body type and although is it possible to lose weight and tone muscles, the basic body type will remain the same. For example, men tend to first gain fat weight in the midsection whereas women tend to gain it in the hip and thigh area. There is no exercise that can alter this predisposition. Exercise and a healthy diet are the most efficient combination for body fat loss. Cardiovascular exercise such as running, biking, walking, stair climbing, aerobic class, etc will yield the same results given equal intensity level and time. So, what should you do? Pick a mode of exercise that you enjoy most. If you don't enjoy the mode of exercise, you're not going to want to do it. If you enjoy it, you will. It is that simple!

2) By doing crunches, I will lose body fat in my midsection.
This is similar to the first question, in that there is no such thing as spot reduction. Crunches will not assist in reducing body fat in the midsection, or any other area. Crunches only work the muscles in the abdomen. They will tone, strengthen and tighten the abdominal muscles helping to improve posture and reduce back pain. Crunches do nothing for the body fat that covers the abdominal muscles. The most efficient method of burning off any unwanted fat is through cardiovascular exercise and a healthy diet as recommended above.

3) When you stop lifting weights the muscle turns to fat.
No, muscle and fat are two completely different substances which cannot be interchanged.
Weight training causes muscles to hypertrophy (increase muscle mass) and burns calories both from the exercise itself and the increase in muscle mass. When weight training is stopped, muscles atrophy (lose muscle mass). The calories expended from the weight training exercises and the increased muscle mass are no longer a factor, and therefore the body's caloric requirement is reduced. Body fat is subsequently gained when the caloric consumption remains the same. Basically, body fat is gained because the calories consumed exceed the calories expended.

4) Exercising at lower intensity level burns more fat than working at a higher intensity level.
As a percentage, this might be true, but if your goal is total fat burned, it is not. Let me explain. Research has shown that as exercise intensity increases, the body decreases the use of fat for energy while increasing its carbohydrate utilization. But, that doesn't mean that performing lower intensity aerobic exercise would cause a greater loss of overall body fat. When you train less intensely, you do burn a higher percentage of fat, but when you exercise at a higher level of intensity your burn more fat calories, which is the bottom line in shedding body fat.

Here is an example: If you burn 60 percent fat while walking 3.0 MPH, you might be burning 5 calories per minute. In a 30-minute walk you would burn about 150 calories -- 72 (60% of 150) of which would be fat. If you bumped your 30-minute walk up to a speed walk or added some elevation you could burn about 9 calories per minute for a total of 270 calories. Even though only 50 percent of those calories are from fat, that's still 135 fat calories burned as opposed to 72 from a walk of the same length.

5) The more you sweat the more fat you burn.
Sweating has nothing to do with how many calories are being burned or how hard a person is working. If a person runs outside in the middle of winter and the next day runs at the same amount of time and intensity in a heated room, the same amount of calories will be expended.
People sweat at different rates. Factors such as excess body fat, poor conditioning or heredity determine how much a person sweats. And, everyone sweats more in a warmer environment. This is the reason why these "sweat suits" are not beneficial in losing body fat. The only result from wearing a sweat suit is an immediate loss of water that may read as a lesser weight on the scale. However, as soon as the body is replenished with fluid, the weight will return. This type of clothing is not recommended due to the significant risk for dehydration and heat exhaustion.

6) Sports drinks are better than water.
Sports drinks have their value for long-term exercisers, but are not necessarily more beneficially for the average exerciser. Sports drinks contain 2 main ingredients: sugar and sodium. Few exercisers work hard enough to sweat away sodium or use up their stored carbohydrate reserves so that fuel needs to be replenished. In fact for most of us, sugar and sodium are substances we want limit in our diet. A person needs to be jogging for at least 2 hours before the body's fuel will start to run low. So, unless you are involved with a long-term, exhaustive exercise program, water is all you need.

7) Weight training is not helpful in reducing body fat.
The main purpose of weight training is to increase muscle mass and strength. This mode of exercise has other benefits as well including enhancing bone density, burning calories, reducing the decrease in muscle mass as we age, increasing metabolism, etc. Increasing metabolism is where helping to reduce body fat comes in. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. Every pound of muscle burns about 35-50 calories per day just to maintain itself. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even when you’re just sitting around.
Also, after age 30, adults lose about a third of a pound to a half a pound of muscle each year without strength training. With every 1 pound of muscle loss, you are burning 35-50 calories less per day. Here's an example to help you understand the importance of muscle mass. If you're 50 years old and you've lost 6 pounds of muscle mass, you might be expending 200-240 calories less per day than when you were 30 years old. So even with aerobic exercise and a moderate diet, if you're not strength training you could have a higher percentage of body fat. Simply stated, less muscle means fewer calories burned and more calories stored as fat. The bottom line with muscles: "use them or loose them." Strength training will help reduce the amount of muscle mass lost with age and help reduce body fat.

8) Lifting weights will make me bulk up.
Well, it really depends on how hard you work and how much time you are willing to commit to your strength-training program. For those individuals who want a large muscle mass, it takes a significant amount of time, hard work and dedication. Without this time consuming effort, bulky muscles will just not happen. Most of us don't have the time or the interest to work out that hard. Most of us just want to maintain or enhance our health and fitness levels. The amount of training necessary for enhancing health and fitness is not going to lead to bulky muscle. In fact, weight training is often the easiest and quickest way for men and women to look leaner, more sculpted and toned.

9) I have to work out hard for health benefits.
Don't believe this all-or-nothing approach. The truth is, there are substantial health benefits to doing just a little exercise daily. Studies show that a 30-minute walk three or more times a week significantly reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress, boosts energy and enhances the immune system. While the Surgeon General recommends that you get moving for 30 minutes a day, this activity doesn't necessarily need to be excessively strenuous, take place continuously or take place in a gym. Every activity counts including taking the stairs, walking the dog, mopping the floor, walking through a parking lot, pulling weeds in the garden, and mowing the lawn.

10) No pain, no gain.
Exercise doesn't need to hurt to be good for you. In fact, pain is your body signaling that something is wrong. Some soreness is common if you are just beginning an exercise program, but if the soreness continues you are pushing too hard. If you feel pain during a workout, you shouldn't push past it; slow down, decrease the intensity or stop your workout. Give your muscles time to adapt when trying to increase muscle and develop endurance. A slight level of discomfort might be felt, but pain should not be a factor.