Misconceptions about how to get fit - there are plenty. By now, most people realize that the old school food pyramid (carb heavy with minimal fat and protein) is a joke, as is the concept of eating 3 squares a day. But, there still are some questions that remain unanswered, mainly because people have been misinformed for so many years. Here are just a few that spring to mind:
1) Lifting weights will make you bulky. This is both true and false - and here's why. If your goal is bulk up - that is, to increase muscularity - lifting weights is absolutely what you need to do. But, if your goal is to slim down and lose weight - guess what? Lifting weights can help you do that, too. The amount of weight you lift, the number of repetitions and sets you perform, the number of calories/carbs/protein you consume, the amount of break time you take in between sets -- all these factors play into how lifting weights will affect your body. The important thing to remember is that you are always in control of your desired results.
2) Long cardio sessions are the only way to lose weight. This clearly ties in with #1, as it again touches upon the significant role that resistance training plays in weight loss. Your body is extremely adaptive; it will quickly become accustomed to whichever way it is challenged. To that end, performing the same - or even close to the same - aerobics workout will only get you so far in terms of your weight loss. If you don't believe me, watch The Biggest Loser the next time it's on. Are the contestants only doing cardio to lose weight, or are they also incorporating resistance training into their routines? The key: the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Your body burns calories by sustaining the life of these muscles.
3) If you workout every day, you can eat whatever you want. I wish this one were true, but I'm afraid it's not. Whoever laid this one on you was either a) genetically gifted, b) 22 years old, or 3) an idiot. Or, perhaps even a combination of all three. Maybe this logic seemed to fly while you were younger - and your body burned calories like a furnace - but as you get older, this natural calorie burning process isn't quite as ravenous. Can you workout every day and eat whatever you want? Of course you can. You just open your mouth, insert food, chew and then swallow. There, you just did it. The better question is: can you workout every day, eat what you want, but still not gain weight? The answer to that better question is a resounding No. Half of the battle is what you're eating, so unfortunately sweating it out at the gym just isn't enough by itself.
I could go on and on with these. Maybe I'll list more in another post. In the meantime, feel free to tell us your favorite fitness misconceptions.