Exercise Myth

I keep a piece of paper on the bulletin board entitled "Diet and Exercise Myth". It’s the beginning of a top-99 fitness misconceptions list. I write down the usual suspects as I remember them. I’m reminded of them daily. I suppose most of these myths are propagated and maintained by “gym scientists”, infomercials, well-meaning friends and the latest diet and exercise books.

Some so-called exercise experts actually reinforce diet and exercise myth too, usually because -after a while- it’s easier to just agree than try to replace these beliefs with the truth.

This is especially true for Diet and Exercise Myth #1. It’s the most deeply held misconception of them all. It NEVER seems to go away and it keeps people from getting to their goals. If you can remember it, you will be ahead of 90% of the people on the street.

Crunches, sit-ups, abdominal exercises will get rid of my abdominal fat.
Or, arm exercises will get rid of the fat on the back of my arms.
And, using that thigh machine will get rid of the fat on my thighs.

This is the diet and exercise myth of “spot reduction”. As in working that spot will reduce that fat on top of that spot. It’s been around for so long, I have found that correcting this requires much repetition. Someone can learn it and then forget days later.

Where do I start? With the car analogy.

You are a car and your body-fat is your gas tank. Your gas tank is wrapped all around your body just under your skin, with an emphasis on more storage in certain areas. Think of body fat as one big continuous unit- NOT individual units (abdominal fat, arm fat, thigh fat).

How do you get rid of gas in a car? Either siphon it out of the gas tank (liposuction?) or… drive the car! Rubbing or beating on the gas tank does not get rid of the gas inside the tank! Right?

To get rid of abdominal fat, arm fat or thigh fat, you must do a combination of putting less gas in your car (by reducing calorie intake) and also by driving your car (by running, circuit training, gardening, hiking, walking, etc.)

This of course means that you cannot control where you burn fat from first. Where it comes from first is a little different for everyone. But, the good news is that if you drive a car 200-miles without stopping to fill the tank, it’s a 100%-of-the-time-true-physical-reality that you will use gas. Have you ever driven your car for days and not ended up near empty?

It’s the exact same physical reality that you will lose body fat if you work-out consistently and refuel slightly less (less calories in). Since your car is your body, you want your car to have a small amount of gas in it consistently. (By the way, 2 pounds of fat loss per week is a great rate and considered the generally safe upper limit. ½ or 1 pound is good.)

“But I work-out and diet, and I don’t lose weight!” If you truly believe that, it's a good time to work with a trainer to help determine and fix the problem.

(The only caveat: If you have an underlying health problem, it can slow fat loss down. This includes hormone imbalances and food allergies. I frequently refer trainees to their doctors for blood testing and checkups. This is a good idea for everyone.)

“So what exercise will burn the fat on my [belly-triceps-thighs] if [crunches-arm presses-leg presses] don’t work?”