Fitness Myths

1.     Doing tons of crunches and other abdominal exercises create a flat stomach.

Although doing stomach exercises can strengthen and build ab muscles, you can not get rid of abdominal fat simply by crunching away. There is no way to “spot train” a certain body part. A combination of cardiovascular exercise, strength training and diet is needed for ripped or flat abs.

2.     Running on a treadmill is better for your knees than running on pavement.

It doesn’t make much difference on what surface you run. What makes a difference is the impact of your body weight on your joints. The key to having healthy knees is cross-training (doing different activities other than just running). When you add swimming, biking, elliptical training and other exercises, you reduce the impact on your knees and strengthen different muscles in your legs.

3.     Sweating more means that you are working harder during your workout.

Sweating is simply the body trying to cool itself off. Therefore, if you are exercising in a cool and dry environment, you may not sweat as much even though you are working at the same intensity as when you are exercising in hot and humid conditions.

4.     You are more prone to injury when you work out than if you don’t.

Building strong muscles and a strong heart, not to mention balance and coordination, are great ways to decrease your chances of injury from a fall or pulled muscle.  That being said, make sure that you are using correct form when you exercise. If you’re unsure of your form, talk to fitness professional.

5.     You should stretch before working out to “loosen up.”

Though stretching is important, you will not be able to lengthen your muscles or increase your range of motion by stretching before cold muscles before a workout. In fact, you might be putting yourself at risk for injury because the muscles become unstable. So stretch after you finish your workout!