5 Common Fitness Myths: BUSTED

We’ve all heard the myths, and chances are, you’ve fallen for a few just as we have. Here are a few of the most common myths that competitors, fitness fanatics and health enthusiasts have all fallen victim to at one point or another. Don’t let yourself be one of them!

Myth: You can spot reduce. 

No matter how much we wish this wasn’t, it is in fact a myth. Spot reduction is simply not possible. The only way to reduce targeted areas of fat is to reduce your overall body fat percentage. 

Myth: You burn only fat at your target heart rate.

The only time you burn fat exclusively is while you sleep… and as you can imagine, it isn’t a significant amount. No matter if you’re doing cardio fasted, or hitting a target heart rate, you’re always burning fat and muscle. 

Myth: You can “just tone” your muscles. 

When first getting started in fitness, tons of women’s only goal is to “tone”. There is so much more to being physically fit though. You have to decrease body fat, increase muscle mass and build a base in order to obtain that toned appearance. More often than not, those who appear “toned” either naturally hold very little body fat or have worked a lot harder than you think to achieve the level of muscle tone that you can see. 

Myth: You can out exercise a bad diet. 

Before you go any further, this doesn’t mean skip your cheat day. However, a consistent, high-calorie, high-sugar diet can not be out exercised. No matter how much cardio you plan on doing, you can not burn more than you consume in many cases. The key to being physically fit is to have a maintainably consistent healthy diet while also creating a manageable work out routine. 

Myth: Thin = healthy.

The biggest of nopes! Just because someone has low body fat does not mean that they are the epitome of health. They may be underweight or filling . their bodies with tons of preservatives and junk food. Remember, no body is the same. Every body sits at a different weight for optimal health.