Myth 4. You can spot reduce. Doing arm, leg or abdominal exercises to take fat off those areas, won’t work. There’s only one way to lose fat. It dissolves in your blood stream, then travels to your liver where it is metabolized or burned for energy. When you lose body fat, you lose the same percentage of fat all over, so areas where you have the highest accumulation of fat are the areas you see it come off last.

Myth 5. It’s always best to exercise in the morning or certain times of day. Everyone’s Circadian rhythms are different. I train some folks who are great and full of energy in the morning, while others are substandard till afternoon.

Train when you feel your best.

Myth 6. Working out with weights will only build muscle: it won’t help lose fat. This myth is huge, because muscle is active tissue. In order for muscle to stay healthy, nutrients must cross muscle cell membranes and that takes energy. For every ounce of muscle you gain, your body burns extra calories 24 hours a day, that’s right, even while you sleep.

Myth 7. If you never exercised when you were young, it’s dangerous to start when you’re older. I’ve even had clients begin exercise at the age of 90. In 2009 a study of over 1,800 seniors by the Hebrew University Medical and Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem concluded that seniors who worked out-or started to exercise later in life, not only lived longer than those who didn’t, but their last years were healthier. Regardless of age, make sure to get proper instruction when beginning an exercise routine.

Diet or exercise question? Email me at dwcrocker77@gmail.com or visit fitness4yourlife.org. David Crocker of Landrum has been a nutritionist and master personal trainer for 26 years. He served as strength director of the Spartanburg Y.M.C.A., head strength coach for the USC-Spartanburg baseball team, S.C. state champion girls gymnastic team, and the Converse college equestrian team. He has been a water safety consultant to the United States Marine Corps., lead trainer to L.H. Fields modeling agency, and taught four semesters at USC-Union. David was also a regular guest of the Pam Stone radio show.