Myth vs. Fact

MYTH: You can lose fat in a specific part of you body by exercising that part.
FACT: There is no such thing as spot reduction. When you lose fat (through cardiovascular exercise) fat is lost from all areas of your body. Doing localized exercises, like squats, will not reduce fat on you legs. Instead it will build muscle.

MYTH: Fats are bad.
FACT: Some fat is not only healthy, but essential to live. The trick is to incorporate the right types of fat into your diet while reducing the bad kind. Good fats are unsaturated, specifically monounsaturated fat. They reduce the bad cholesterol and very healthy for your heart. You can get these types of fats from olive oil, avocado, almonds. Bad fats are saturated and trans fat. These are horrible for your health. These are found in animal meats, butter, margarine, and proceeds foods. Also, I should note that you need to add omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. These are found primarily in fish.

MYTH: Crunches are the way to flat abs.
FACT: First one must lose fat to see their abs. The most efficient way to burn fat is through intense cardio (i.e. running, aerobics, swimming, biking, kickboxing) for at least 20 minutes 3 times a week.

MYTH: You can only lose weight by doing a ton of exercise.
FACT: What you eat is MORE important than HOW MUCH you exercise when it comes to losing weight. Obviously, they are both important to achieving optimal health, but you can exercise all you want and will never see results if you don't change you diet. Conversely, you can just change your diet (lower the calories and increasing nutrients) and you will lose weight.

MYTH: Carbohydrates are fattening.
FACT: This one drives me nuts. Carbs are not fat. Fat is Fat. Carbs are carbs. They are two completely different things. There is nothing wrong with eating carbohydrates. They are a wonderful source of energy. People will claim they lose a ton of weight by eating a low-carb diet. They probably do lose weight but in reality they are losing weight because they are are on a low-calorie diet. You will lose weight if you reduce your Calories whether or not those Calories are from carbs, protein, or fat. That being said there are 'good carbs' and 'bad carbs.' Avoid sugars and refined flour.

MYTH: Fat can turn into muscle or muscle can turn into fat
FACT: This claim is ridiculous. A muscle cell is completely different than a fat cell. They are not the same and they are not interchangeable nor can they morph into each other. You lose fat by doing cardio. You gain muscle by resistance training.