MYTH NO. 1: In order to get fit, you have to RUN like you have never run before.
REALITY: In order to get fit, you have to find exercise that you enjoy. You tend to stick with activities you like instead of find excuses for why you should give up. Getting fit is a process that takes time and patience, with tremendous rewards along the way, both physically and mentally. If you are looking for instant success, like losing 5kg in five days, you will be inviting trouble, disappointment and frustration.

MYTH NO. 2: He has a nice body, so he must know what he is talking about.
REALITY: As tempting as it may be to believe everything that the guy in the gym with the amazing body tells you, you still need to think through the information. Everyone is different, so what works for one person may not produce the same results in another. The truth is, some people are just blessed with good genes and will look great no matter what they do. Determining what works for your body is the way to go. No one knows it better than you.

MYTH NO. 3: If I stop exercising, my muscles will turn into fat.
REALITY: Muscle cannot turn into fat! Muscle is muscle, fat is fat. One cannot become the other. In order to gain muscle, you have to consume calories, in order to lose body fat, you need to burn calories. Developing muscle and losing body fat are two completely different processes. When you exercise, you increase your muscle mass and reduce your fat mass. When you stop exercising, muscle mass shrinks and you are inviting fat back into your life.

MYTH NO. 4: I have to have work out with the best equipment and join the best gym to get the maximum results.
REALITY: You can work out anywhere with absolutely anything. All you need is to take away the excuses. A functional BODY is the best gym and the best equipment. Tons of exercises can be done with just body weight, or things around you. But if you want to join a gym, and if joining the best gym with the best equipment gets you motivated, I am all for it!

MYTH NO. 5: I am too old to start exercising.
REALITY: No one is too old, too young, too fat, too skinny and so on. Maybe the real problem is too lazy. How can something so good for you be so hard to do? (Hint: Look at the first myth.) Picking up an exercise, at any age, has more benefits than not. If you are just starting, the rule of thumb is to start slowly and build up gradually, no matter if you are nine or 90!

MYTH NO. 6: Women who lift weights will develop big, bulky muscles.
REALITY: Strength training is a wonderful way to tone up, firm up and shape muscles beautifully. Those big, bulky muscles you see on bodybuilders are most often gained with the assistance of the male hormone testosterone. Women do not make enough testosterone to produce the same results. I mean no disrespect to any bodybuilder, male or female, but it takes displine and near-starvation to lower body fat, and steroids to bulk up beyond normal ranges, especially for female bodybuilders. For those of us who are doing it for health, let’s incorporate discipline into our lives. Ladies, fret no more about doing strength training.

MYTH NO. 7: Spending hours in gyms will get you better results.
REALITY: Please, please do not make the gym your second home. Why go to the gym? It is a place to get fit so you can enjoy your life more. Not a life spent all day at the gym! If you take more than an hour to finish your workout, chances are you are resting too long between sets, or wasting too much time. Give your 100 per cent when you’re at the gym, whether that is one hour or half an hour. Leave it when you’re finished and spend the rest of the day doing other things. Besides, after they have been pumped for an hour, muscles need to rest. Only by giving them adequate rest, alongside exercise, will they grow bigger and stronger.

MYTH NO. 8: If I do thousands of sit-ups, I will have a flat tummy and get a six pack.
REALITY: There is no such thing as spot reduction! Doing abdominal exercises makes the abdominal muscles stronger. But there are two things you have to do to bring out the muscles hidden behind the dreaded layer of belly fat. The first is to have a good cardiovascular programme and the second is take in proper nutrition. And this applies to all muscles.

MYTH NO. 9: Dieting without exercise will let me lose weight faster.
REALITY: Dieting will help lose weight but not fat mass. Your body is a very intelligent instrument. When it doesn’t get enough food, it goes into starvation mode. In starvation mode, the body stores everything it can as fat so it can survive. You do not want this to happen as this slows your metabolism, and if you start eating again your body stores that food as fat. The worst thing is that you will gain more weight when you start eating again. Proper nutrition + cardio + strength training = healthy body, mind, soul.

MYTH NO. 10: You can eat as much protein and carbohydrates as you like without putting on weight, if you do not eat fat.
REALITY: Eating too much fat is not the only thing that gains you kilos. Excessive amounts of alcohol, protein and carbohydrates can all be broken down and converted into fat. The bottom line is that too much of anything will make you put on weight if you do not not burn the calories you are tucking in.