work out right: 8 exercise myths dispelled

Now that your Fourth of July celebrating is out of the way (read: beer, extra cheese on that burger), it’s time to make up for it through exercise and a more balanced diet. After all, there’s still a substantial amount of summer swimsuit season ahead! Check out these common exercise myths before you hit the gym:

1. stretching beforehand is essential (Actually, it increases your chance of injury. The best thing to do before exercise is a gentle 3-5 minute easy warm-up.)
2. to get skinny, just do lots of cardio (Actually, muscle
   training is the best way to slim down. The additional muscle increases
   your resting metabolism, plus makes you look more toned.)
3. muscle turns to fat (Actually, they’re two completely separate tissues. When you stop working out, you burn fewer calories, so your fat increases while your muscle mass decreases.)
4. high reps are best (Actually, good form is key. Aim for weight
   that you can rep eight times in good form. If you can do more than 15
   reps in good form, it’s not enough weight.)
5. stay skinny with diet alone (Actually, to maintain weight loss, an exercise regime is essential. Plus, dieting alone doesn’t have the long-term health benefits of exercising.)
6. there is a "fat burning zone" (Actually, it doesn’t matter if you exercise long and slow or fast and hard. Whatever gets the most calories expended is what works.)
7. crunching alone takes away ab flab (Actually, to truly get an ab sixer, you have to also eat a balanced diet and do some cardio so you can get rid of the top fat layer.)
8. more protein = more muscle (Actually, any excess protein you eat gets expelled in your urine or stored as body fat. Your best bet is to eat a balanced, healthy diet with protein, fat and carbs.)

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Photo credit: Christy Thompson