Many women are afraid that strength training will make them bulky. However, women don’t actually have enough testosterone to create big, bulky muscles. In fact, they naturally have less bone and muscle than men, which explains why females are at greater risk of developing osteoporosis than males. The fact is women should undertake strength training because by keeping their bones and muscles strong, they decrease their risk of disability as they age.

Some people believe that if they exercise one particular area, it will cause fat to be removed from that area. In the gym you often find men who store their fat in their abdomen, are on the abs machines, and women with larger thighs are on the hip machines for hours in hopes of ‘spot reducing’. However, while these abdominal and hip exercises can strengthen and tone the muscles of those regions, those muscles are actually located underneath the ‘subcutaneous’ (deep) layer of fat; this means, we must lose the excess fat that is covering up the muscles in order to discard that ‘flabby’ appearance. When you exercise, the areas where you will lose weight are determined by your genes.

It’s not uncommon for people who don’t see immediate weight loss to consider giving up on their exercise routine. What we need to remember is that exercise gives us benefits that we mightn’t be able to see so obviously. By exercising we reduce our risk of developing diabetes and heart disease, we reduce our triglycerides levels and raise our HDL (good) cholesterol, and the psychological benefits have been proven to include both depression and anxiety relief. So even if weight loss is not occurring, remember that improvements are occurring internally.

The notion that all fat people are sedentary and unfit and at high risk of developing health-related diseases is simply not true. Overweight and obese individuals who are fit, do have elevated mortality rates. It has actually been shown that low fitness is as good a predictor of dying as other risk factors, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Fitness is such an important predictor of mortality that it is essential to assess it as part of a person’s general health risk and medical check ups.

Many people still believe that you have to work at a very high intensity in order to get health benefits from exercise. In fact, moderate intensity exercise reduces your risk of dying just as much as high intensity exercise. Studies have found that women who regularly engaged in brisk walking reduced their risk of heart disease to the same degree as women who engaged in vigorous exercise.

Some older people tend to think that it is too late to start an exercise routine if they didn’t workout when they were younger. But studies have shown that it is never too late to start exercising because you can reap benefits at any age. As we age, exercise can reduce the risk of bone and muscle diseases and help enhance daily functionality. Regardless of age and medical history, consult a doctor before starting any exercise program.

It can take 10 to 12 weeks of regular exercise for you to noticeably improve your fitness and have your body change shape, but the benefits can start as quickly as right after that first brisk walk. Doctors recommend that you get at least 45 minutes of moderate exercise each day, but if you think you don’t have time to go to the gym or walk or run each day, try integrating exercise into your daily routine. For example, opt to walk up the stairs instead of taking the lift, walk to and from work, or get off the bus one stop early and walk the rest of the way.

If you exercise in extreme heat or humidity, you will sweat profusely and lose some weight. This weight loss will, however, only be fluid loss, not fat loss.

Protein is used for rebuilding the muscles (repair) after weight training (damage/stimulus). More protein does not cause muscle growth, but it does provide the muscles with ‘fuel’ when needed. This is not to be confused with fuel during exercise though, which is provided primarily by fat and carbohydrates (depending on intensity and duration).

Eating in addition to your regular meals (and in excess of calories needed for your activities) will result in weight gain, especially if those late night meals include tubs of double chocolate ice-cream or multiple packets of chips.