Spring is here, and that's the signal for us to have a look at our health and fitness habits. Of course, many of us have been down this track before. The desire is there, but not the determination, and often by October we have given up in frustration before reaching our goals. Contributing to this problem is a host of bad information about diet and exercise that circulates through gyms, workplaces and over the internet. Personal trainer Gary Dawkins takes a closer look at the exercise myths.
1 I can burn more fat calories by exercising for a long time at a low intensity level.
This statement is the most misunderstood of all the fitness claims. We have been trained to think that to burn fat we must do lots of long and low intensity exercise.
It is true that the fuel being burned during this type of exercise is predominantly fat.
However, the exercise intensity is so low that total calories burned are insufficient to allow for good results.
2 I am a female so strength training will make me too muscular.
Women naturally have less bone and muscle than men, so they need to take care of what they've got. This is why women are at greater risk of osteoporosis then men. Lost muscle puts women at greater risk of disability as they age.
And don't worry about looking like a body builder. Women don't have enough testosterone to create big, bulky muscles.
3 If I exercise the areas where my fat is, then I will lose my fat on this area.
Some people believe that if they exercise one area, it will cause fat to be removed from that area. Spot reduction is a myth.
Abdominal, butt and hip exercises will strengthen the muscles - but the muscles are sitting underneath a layer of fat and that is what we see on the surface - flab.
The only way to get rid of fat is to lose weight, but where you lose it depends on your genes.
4 Aerobic exercise burns lots of calories.
It's time to stop counting the calories you are burning while cycling at the gym. Exercising does not, on its own, burn a lot of calories. Walking or running 1.5km burns about 100 calories. But sitting still on the couch burns about 50 calories.
So the extra you expend isn't huge and this is why people get discouraged by their slow rate of weight loss.
Instead, it's all about increasing your lean muscle mass and adopting the correct nutritional programme.
More lean muscle means you will be burning lots of calories even when you are at home on the couch.
This means adopting smart exercise and nutrition programmes specific to you, rather than merely walking each day and becoming discouraged at the slow rate of fat loss.
People also think they will be burning lots of calories long after they have completed their walk.
In fact, calorie expenditure is only elevated for the first minute or two after completing low effort exercise such as walking.
5 If I don't lose weight, then there's no point in exercising.
The sad point about it is that most people only start an exercise programme so they can lose that unwanted flab. Many do not see immediate weight loss results, so stop.
In fact, 70% of people who start a gym membership have given up within the first three weeks because they have not seen any weight loss signs.
The benefits of exercise extend far beyond weight loss - exercise improves the ability of insulin to enter cells, so it lowers the risk of diabetes.
Exercise lowers the risk of heart disease by improving blood clotting mechanisms, lowering triglycerides and promoting the good cholesterol (HDL).
Exercise improves sleep and has consistently been shown to relieve both depression and anxiety.
6 No pain, no gain.
This one is a double-edged sword. Lower intensity exercises lower the risk of dying just as much as high intensity exercise.
So you do not have to train for a marathon in order to get great cardiovascular benefits.
And you can still burn just as many calories if you are prepared to stay out there walking for two hours at a moderate intensity versus saving time and exercising at a high intensity for 20 minutes.
So "no pain, no gain" is a myth. It's just going to take up a lot more of your time to achieve your goals than working at a high intensity level each time you exercise.
7 I can't be fit and fat.
There are many people who may classify themselves as being overweight and who are significantly healthier than a slim person.
The notion that all fat people are sedentary and unfit and at high risk of disease is not true. Overweight and obese individuals with good cardiovascular fitness do not have elevated mortality rates.
So if you are having trouble losing weight, don't stop exercising, as you will still be making good fitness gains.
8 I am getting older so I should be putting on weight.
Although most people seem to put on weight as they get older, this certainly does not have to be the case.
The only reason why this weight gain occurs is because of a reduced level of exercise and a subsequent lowered metabolic rate caused by a loss of lean body mass.
Of course, we do have a reduction in muscle as we age, and a reduction in muscle means a reduction in our caloric output.
This reduction in lean body mass occurs between the ages of 20 and 30 and our percentage of body fat starts to climb because a lower metabolic rate means that unless you eat less, you'll gain weight over the decades.
So exercise can counter any middle age spread by increasing caloric output and building up more lean muscle.
Starting at age 40 in women and at 60 in men, we lose 6% to 8% of our muscle per decade.
However, after only two months of strength training, women recover a decade of loss and men recover two decades.
This strength training requires just three weekly 40-minute training sessions which include warm up, rest periods and stretching.
This must be one of the best returns on your time you could ever get.
9 I can't exercise often, so there's no point.
It is correct that it takes 10 weeks of regular exercise to get fit. However, our health can improve after just one brisk walk.
A 50-year-old man who is overweight, has moderately elevated blood sugars and blood pressure can lower these values after just one bout of moderate intensity, like a 30-minute to 40-minute brisk walk.
Every single bout of exercise has benefits, so make certain you still complete some exercise even if you cannot commit to a weekly programme.
10 Stretching before exercise is crucial.
Stretching can actually make some muscle more vulnerable to injury. A good warm up and stretch before aerobic exercise is good, but not so good before weight training.
You should wait and stretch after your weight training workout.
11 I should never eat before a workout.
Having enough fuel is far more important than exercising on an empty stomach and becoming hypoglycaemic (a lack of muscle glycogen).
Have a small meal one to three hours before exercising and load up on premium fuel such as fruit, yoghurt or wholewheat bread.
12 Exercise will turn my fat into muscle.
These two tissues are completely independent of one another. We can lose one and replace it with another, but we cannot convert one into the other.
Fat will never turn into muscle. And muscle will never turn into fat.
So no matter how many abdominal crunches we do, we cannot turn our mid region fat into a six-pack of rock-solid muscle.
Instead, we must work away patiently at cardiovascular and resistance exercises to remove fat. Only then will the underlying muscle be obvious to the eye.
Similarly, if we stop exercising, muscle will not turn into fat. We will simply develop more fat.
13 I must sweat to have a good workout.
Our body sweats to cool itself down. It is possible to burn a significant number of calories without breaking into a sweat. We do not need to sweat to still burn lots of calories.
14 I sweat so much during exercise I must be unfit.
The exact opposite is true - sweating early during exercise is a sign of an efficient radiator. The body is trained at keeping you cool so will shunt blood to the skin's surface faster and release heat from the body.
15 The more exercise the better.
Smart exercise is far more important than hard exercise. Giving our bodies time to recover is equally as important as training.
A lot of people find this hard to understand and subsequently experience injury, illness, depression or burnout.
Our bodies can only lose fat and become fitter and healthier if they get satisfactory rest time.