We all know that we need to incorporate exercise into our daily ritual in order for us to stay fit and healthy. We all have different fitness goals such as to burn fats better, get rid of stress, build and tone muscles, or simply to feel better. But with our eagerness to work out, we often hear plenty of fitness advice being bandied about in the gyms that can lead to misconceptions of what fitness is all about. You’re probably thinking which myths you’ve heard about. Well, here are a few ones that you’ll hear quite often.

Sit-ups and crunches are for building six-pack abs

There is no denying the power of sit-ups and crunches when it comes to tightening your core, but keep in mind that your abdominal muscles need more than hundreds of crunches to get some definition. Also, this repetitive movement can strain your back or even lead to injury. If you want to build better core muscles, try the plank as it recruits more abdominal muscles compared to the two exercises.

You only need to workout once or twice a week

Sadly this myth is not going to get you the results that you are looking for. If you want to see some serious muscles or you want to lose weight, you will need to put more effort into your workout. Experts recommend that you exercise 3 to 5 times a week. This doesn’t mean you have to spend an hour or two in the gym. Even short bursts of intense workout can have an effect on your body and metabolism.

The best time to exercise is in the morning

Although there are studies that show exercising before breakfast can help your body burn more fats throughout the day, you can actually exercise any time of the day. If you are not a morning person, don’t be. You’ll feel better doing your fitness at a time that best suits you as long as you stick with it.

Weight lifting makes muscles out of your fat

This is a huge no. There is simply no way for you to transform fats into muscles no matter how heavy the weights you are lifting. One reason behind this is that they are two different tissues. Adipose or fatty tissue is the one found under the skin which is sandwiched between muscles. Muscle tissue, on the other hand can be broken down further into three main types. Weight training can strengthen muscle tissues in and around fat tissue. If you want to reduce your fat tissues, you will need to switch your diet to a healthier one.

Brain workouts are puzzles and games

Although puzzles and games can exercise the mind, you also need to stay physically active to boost your memory and cognition. Don’t think of your mind and body as two entities because the brain is still a muscle which you need to exercise. Doing physical activities can increase the amount of oxygen entering your brain which you need for it to stay sharp.