FIT-MYTHS; Fit/miTH/ noun : a widely held but false belief or idea about fitness.

1. “If you weigh a lot, that means you’re fat.” Many of us (myself included) sometimes get so hung up on the number on the scale. A pound is a pound. A pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh the exact same (common sense). The only difference is density because fat takes up more volume. However, it is possible for the number as the scale may go up while you lose body fat. Progress is better measured by checking your body percentage, the change you see in the mirror and being able to slip into your favorite jeans that hug you just right.

2. “I’m not going to lift heavy weights because I’m not trying to look like a man”-me. hahah I’m almost never wrong, but boy was I wrong with this one. You see, its science, Women do not have the same hormone profile as men, therefore they will not bulk like men do. The testosterone men produce helps facilitate their muscle gain. Females don’t have nearly as much testosterone as men. In fact, females have 15-20 times less testosterone. Weight training will get you to burn more calories which will result in body fat loss. Plus, you train for the results you want so if you are trying to bulk you need to fuel and train your body for bulking.

3. “I worked out so I can eat whatever I want”-Everyone. Everyone has different goals they want to obtain, some wish to bulk, some want weight loss. Just because you worked out does not mean you should go out and eat that double-double cheese burger because you “earned” it. If you are truly working that hard you should reward your body by fueling it with food that is actually good for it. Don’t throw away all your time and effort by stuffing your face with garbage. Now don’t get me wrong, I love fries more than anything and Im not as strict as I should be, but moderation is key!!

4. “I can eat as much of these as I’d like because they’re gluten free” -gluten free hipsters. Some people load up on gluten free junk food but little do they know that some of these items have more calories and carbs then the real form of the junk food. Essentially, the grains that these gluten free treats contain have been stripped of their fiber and nutrients in order to be gluten free. So might as well go for that real cookie, I’m sure itl’l taste better anyhow.

5. “I can spot reduce my problem areas”. When you workout and eat properly, your body draws fat from different regions based on your genetic make up. If you want to lose fat from one area, you’d have to lose fat overall. Only liposuction and surgery will attack the desired area but who wants to do that? After all if you work hard to obtain your goals, the accomplishment itself will feel soooo much better.

6. “Running is best for weight loss” Yes, you will lose weight if you run but a lot of the weight you lose is most likely muscle loss. Personally, I know I’ve worked hard for the little baby muscles I have so I rather keep what Ive got!

7. “If I do 565,199,347 crunches I’ll have abs” This ties into number myth number 5 with spot reducing. Everyone is born with abs, some of us just have a little more cushion on top of them. In order to reveal those bad boys a healthy diet is essential. As much as it breaks my little heart to say it, its right what they say “abs are built in the kitchen”.

8. “But first, cardio” Most people walk into the gym and head straight into the cardio section because they think doing cardio goes before the actual weight training burns more fat. If you begin with cardio, you are exhausting your muscles before your actual workout has begun. By doing this you are reducing your glycogen levels which can prevent you from training to the best of your abilities. Weight training promotes calorie burn throughout the day so that’s the long term solution you should be aiming for!

9. “Carbs are only found in bread & noodles” FALSE! Carbs can be found in almost everything, including fruits and veggies. If I had it my way I would live off of fruit and acai bowls but unfortunatley I would be loading up on carbs making it impossible to reach my fitness goals.

10. “The cardio machine said I burnt 300+ calories” Everyone burns calories differently based on age, fitness levels, body mass index, and sex. The treadmill does not know these characteristics of yours making it impossible to calculate how many calories you have destroyed as an individual. For example, if a 140 pound person with 30% body fat and another weighing 140 pounds but is 20% body fat both run a mile at a 10 minute rate, the cardio machine would display the same amount of calories burnt based off of a formula. In reality the person that has the most fat will burn the most calories because of the energy they have to use to accomplish that mile.