Myth #2; Women will get too bulky working out with weights:

This is another old fitness myth that continues to be prevalent to boomers today. The truth of the matter is that when both women and men begin to train with weights, their appetites increase. Without realizing it, they start consuming too many calories which are then stored as fat. So what they assume are bulky muscles is really an increase in body fat.

The fact is that training with weights is frequently the quickest and easiest approach for women to look leaner, more sculpted and toned. When starting any exercise plan, you must take into account the amount of food you’re consuming. It takes years of hard work to increase muscle strength and size, but only a short period of time to increase body fat by gobbling up too many calories.

Myth #3; You need to do sit-ups, crunches, and other abdominal exercises in order to reduce your waistline.

This myth is a personal favorite of mine. Why? Because I love to see the expression on the faces of individuals when I tell them I don’t do any abdominal exercises. They then ask; “Well how can you have six-pack abs if you don’t do any abdominal exercises?” – I respond by letting them know that they have abs too, but their just covered up by layers of fat. At this point they’re a little perplexed so I continue to inform them that you cannot spot reduce fat. The first place fat goes on the body is the last place fat comes off; this is generally the stomach area for men and the hips, buttock, and thighs for women.

Now, I’m not telling you that abdominal exercises are a waste of time because performing these exercises will help strengthen and define your abs.  However, they will do nothing alone to reduce your midsection. The only way, outside of surgery, to reduce the fat and see your abs is to consume fewer calories than you’re expending while continuing your exercise program. Remember to keep in mind though, that your midsection will be the last place for fat to come off.

Myth #4; It takes hours in the gym to be fit.

Boomers are busier today than ever, so efficacy is a key component of daily life. Having to do anything that requires a great deal of time is generally disregarded by most boomers. However, becoming healthy and fit can increase efficacy and takes less time than many think.  A good fitness program can be accomplished in as little as thirty minutes a day, three day per week.  I know you’ve heard it before, “Thirty minutes a day? Come on…”  Yet it’s true.  The reason many individuals spend too much time trying to become fit is that they’re working more on their social muscles rather than their body muscles.

Myth #5; Your body slows down as you get older.

Boomers are already crushing this myth, but there are some hold-outs. Studies show that with regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, weight training and a low-fat diet, you can increase energy, lean body mass and decrease fat mass. Even at age 90, people can experience renewed strength, increased mobility, stronger bones and greater flexibility by exercising.

Today, at 52 years old, my energy levels surpass many individuals that are twenty and thirty years younger than me.

The 5 Top Fitness Myths:

I remember, as a child, burning my finger on a hot frying pan and my mother putting butter on it to stop the burning.  However, little did she know that it actually served to fuel the burning of my finger!  Why did she use butter?  Because that’s what her mother did it, that’s what her mother before her did it, and so on.  It''s easy to fall into the myth trap: A friend passes along a tip, and then you pass it on to several individuals you know.  One day you hear the same tip repeated, so you figure it must be true. Today, we know that if you burn your finger on a hot frying pan you should hold it under cold running water to stop the burning.  Myths carry on over time until we learn that that’s all they are – Myths!

Myths and half-truths are still abundant in the fitness world today (even though good science has proven them to be falsehoods).  Just as my mother never took the time to find out if butter really helped relieve the pain of a burning finger, many individuals never take the time to investigate what someone tells them about a fitness belief.  And some of these myths may be keeping you from getting the workout you need.

As boomers, we need to base strength and fitness programs on sound scientific evidence in order to maximize our time spent on staying healthy.  So let’s cut through some of these myths and get to the truth of the matter.

Myth #1; Muscle turns into fat when you stop working out:

This is one of the oldest myths in the fitness world and completely false; muscle cannot turn into fat and fat cannot turn into muscle – they are two different body tissues.  How did this myth come about?  In the early days of fitness, men especially, would weight train to increase muscle size which also required eating more calories. When these individuals stopped working out, their muscles began to atrophy, reducing in size and strength. However, they did not take into consideration that their bodies no longer needed the volume of calories they were consuming while training.  Those extra calories that were used as fuel while they were training was then stored as fat because the body no longer required that much food.  The outward appearance seems as though their hard earned muscle was turning into fat, but the reality is that their bodies were getting fatter because they were taking in more than needed.

If you cut back on your training, or stop, you must reduce your calorie consumption because your body will store those excess calories as fat.