1) Your cardio machine is counting the calories you're burning.
MYTH- Individual metabolism varies by time of day, proportion of lean mass (muscle) to body fat, fitness level, age, genetics, diet and training regime, among other variables. There can be a large gap between what you are actually burning and what the machine is telling you. Furthermore, the amount of calories you burn in the gym is generally pretty irrelevant and tends to feed the mindset that we can work off what we eat and other distorted ways of approaching exercise. Exercise will be enjoyed to a greater degree when the focus is not on a number whether it be the scale or the machine. Though steady state cardio may appear to burn more calories, for example, you are boosting your metabolism higher for significantly sustained periods with high intensity intervals and heavy weight training, for example.
2) Heart rate monitors will tell you how hard you're working.
MYTH- Heart rate monitors can tell you if your heart rate is increasing or decreasing but the best way to tell how hard you are working is to ask yourself. Are you able to talk and hold conversation? Can you talk but broken with breaths in between? Are you barely phased at all? Are you sweating and feel uncomfortable? Remember, as well, that our heart rates do not need to be elevated for any set amount of time to benefit, nor do we need to have a high heart rate to indicate working hard. If you struggle with pushing yourself and listening to your body, have a condition that warrants careful heart rate monitoring etc then a heart rate monitor could be beneficial to your training.
3) Your weight is the end all be all.
MYTH- Weight, in my opinion, is a highly useless tool for progress measurement. I have seen many people maintain and even GAIN weight while dropping body fat. If the individual is dramatically on one side of the BMI scale (morbidly obese for example), then pounds MAY be useful but often lead to frustration. Much of the weight lost in the beginning is water and some muscle. A dramatic weight loss may begin when cutting down sodium, sugar and when weight at different times of day. You can gain/lose a pound depending on your bowel habits so I wouldn't put too much weight (pun intended) on the scale. In fact, I prefer to live without it and recommend the same for many others unless they are strong enough to not get caught up in it. BMI does not indicate body fat levels and as the epidemic of "skinny fat" increases (of normal weight but with a bodyfat level that would indicate an overweight/obese individual and therefore the same health risks as someone who is overweight/obese) and as muscle mass increases BMI become more and more irrelevant. The best ways to measure progress are with photos and measurements.
4) Low intensity exercise burns more fat.
MYTH- The body doesn't have a magic switch that flips on once all our carb stores are eaten up, nor when we've hit the magic number of minutes "required" to turn on our fat burning power. In addition, higher intensity exercise improves cardiovascular health, endurance and resiliency, burns MORE calories (fat is made of calories essentially. One pound of fat=3500 calories), can stimulate metabolism up to 3x longer than boring slow-paced cardio and when done in intervals can be completed in a mere 15 minutes. Far less mind-numbing than that hour on the hamster wheel. Exercise can be done EFFICIENTLY. Quality over quantity, ever time!
5) Chug a protein shake after a workout.
MYTH- There is NO magic in a protein shake BUT there ARE benefits. For example, whey protein (most common post-workout protein supplement used) is incredibly easy and convenient. It can be quickly packed and mixed with water from the fountain and downed with a piece of fruit for a fantastic post-workout snack. Considering there is an ideal window post-exercise of 30-45 minutes where the body is HUNGRY for protein and carbohydrates, when it will soak it up like a sponge and use it to repair the damage done in the gym (essential, otherwise your body is eating away and damaging muscle and never rebuilding. This contributes to the lack of tone many women talk about even though they work out vigorously, though there are many other factors here I could talk about. A fast, easy, convenient meal is is highly beneficial. Whey in liquid form is easily digested and requires less work from the body, meaning it is absorbed fairly quickly (why you probably need a full meal within an hour or two of working out). It seems counterproductive but is necessary. Without adequate post-workout nutrition the immune system may weaken, soreness increases and recovery can take significantly longer increasing risk of injuries.
6) You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms.
MYTH- you cannot choose how you STORE fat so what makes you think you can choose how to lose it?? ;) The body is hardwired with genetics. Women tend to store more fat around the buttocks, hips and thighs while men tend to be more evenly distributed. If your abs are your trouble spot you will notice that everything else tends to lean out before that 6-pack really pops. You can improve your body, bring out the GOOD traits of your body (my legs are very heavy in comparison with my shoulders. I cannot build big shoulders, so I can choose to work shoulders more often and legs less often to avoid the large, bulky look they can get) and accentuate those to compliment your body shape and size but you will never be able to build a Kardashian butt without having the benefit of the gene pool. Lifting heavy will accentuate your feminine curves and help create a more desirable shape than what is often created with higher body fat levels and you can round out a pancake butt but keep your expectations realistic. Don't hate on yourself for things you cannot change! You must lose fat all over to lose fat in that trouble area, I guarantee you. You can build muscle (this doesn't happen with 3lb weights) and fill out the area so that it appears more defined but until you lose some of the layer covering the muscle you won't see that "tight" look.
7) You can eat whatever you want as long as you workout.
MYTH- You CANNOT out run a poor diet. I should just end it there but I'll add more! Diet is a good 90% of the equation. Use weights and efficient, occasional cardio, to shape the body and prevent muscle wasting with weight loss. Body fat loss can be achieved with diet alone. Actually you can lose weight on almost any food on the planet but your results, how much fat vs muscle you lose, the shape of your body, building of muscle and having that "fit" and "toned" look will be highly dependent on your diet. You CAN eat whatever you want but you can't eat whatever you want, whenever you want. You can learn to fit in daily treats, social events etc and make it fit WITH your lifestyle (since it really should be a lifestyle, never a diet unless you're an athlete training for an event) without ruining your progress. This takes practice and for most, a little help in the beginning.
8) Cardio is the only way to lose weight.
MYTH- Cardio can actually be the SLOWEST way to lose weight! You CAN workout only 3-4x a week with only 2 cardio sessions and still be fit, lean and healthy. As some points mentioned above, high intensity intervals, for example are much more efficient and exciting.
9) You have to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach in order to burn fat.
MYTH- When it comes down to it you do whatever gets you up, out and that heart pumping! Many have less excuses and obstacles first thing in the morning, a fresh outlook and energy and a full night's rest under their belt. If you somehow find a way to get yourself to the gym after a long day at work, with dinner to be made, kids to feed, things to tidy and get together for the following day etc etc etc and have the energy to really go for it then don't stop just because you read some article that says morning is better. Even if you DID burn more fat on an empty stomach you'll probably make up for the difference by lacking the vigor and energy you might otherwise have had you eaten a light snack before hitting the weights. Most athletes won't even train on an empty stomach!
10) Drinking ice cold water burns fat.
MYTH- There IS some evidence that dropping body temperature activates the body's brown fat stores (the good kind of fat that is significantly more metabolically active than the fat you're thinking of), though I have never actually seen any good research showing that drinking cold water is anything but refreshing! Even IF it were true the effect would be incredibly minimal. Ice water isn't your secret to skinny and dramatic metabolic boosts, sorry. Just like all the hot peppers in the world won't cure a lack of exercise and poor diet. I have seen this myth get to the point that the person refuses to drink anything but ice water because it's a waste of "calorie burning potential". Trust me, it's not worth worrying much about!
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