Do my muscles turn into

fat if I don’t exercise them

after a while?

1. “Muscle and fat tissue are two completely different types of tissue.

2. Just as an apple will not turn into an orange, muscle tissue cannot turn into fat or vice versa.

3. Muscle cells increase and decrease in size

according to your training program.

4. If you train quite hard, muscle cells increase in size.

5. When one stops training, muscle cells again

decrease in size.

6. If the person maintains a high caloric intake without physical training, however, fat cells will increase in size as weight (fat) is gained.”1

If I do a lot of sit-ups will I get rid of my belly fat?

1. “There are no “miracle” exercises to spot-reduce.

2. Multiple sets of sit-ups performed three to five times per week will strengthen the abdominal musculature but will not be sufficient to allow the muscles to appear through the layer of fat between the skin and the muscles.

3. The total energy (caloric) expenditure of a few sets of abdominal exercises will not be sufficient to lose a significant amount of weight (fat).”2

If I work out a lot, can I eat whatever I want?

1. “Weight loss is more effective when you cut back on calories (dieting), as opposed to only increasing physical activity or exercise.

2. Weight loss is more effective, nonetheless, when 150 or more minutes of physical activity per week are added to dieting.

3. Weight loss maintenance, however, in most cases is possible only with 60 to 90 minutes of sustained daily physical activity or exercise.

4. When taking part in a weight (fat) reduction program, people also have to decrease their caloric intake moderately, use portion control, be physically active, and implement strategies to modify unhealthy eating behaviors.”3

If I walk 10 minutes in the morning, 10 at lunch,

and 10 after work –

Is it the same as walking for 30 minutes at once?

1. “For health fitness, accumulating 30 minutes of physical activity a minimum of five days per week is recommended.

2. To develop and maintain cardiorespiratory fitness, 20 to 60 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise, three to five times per week, is suggested.

3. For successful weight loss, however, 30 to 60 minutes of light to moderate exercise on most days of the week are recommended.

4. Additional light intensity ambulation and standing throughout the day are also strongly encouraged.

5. To maintain substantial weight loss, 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity on a nearly daily basis is recommended.”4

Is there a gender difference when it comes

to improving fitness?

1. “Because of the increase in muscle mass typically seen in men, some women think that a strength-training program will result in their developing large musculature.

2. Even though the quality of muscle in men and women is the same, endocrinological differences do not allow women to achieve the same amount of muscle hypertrophy (size) as men.

3. Men also have more muscle fibers, and because of the sex-specific male hormones, each individual fiber has more potential for hypertrophy.

4. On the average, following 6 months of training, women can achieve up to a 50-percent increase in strength but only a 10-percent increase in muscle size.”5

Does a short workout at high intensity burn more

calories than a

long workout at a moderate intensity?

1. “We burn about 3 to 4 calories during light-intensity exercise, 5 to 7 calories during moderate-intensity exercise, and 8 to 10 (or more) calories per minute during vigorous-intensity exercise.

2. As we begin to exercise and subsequently increase its intensity, we progressively rely more on carbohydrates and less on fat for energy, until we reach maximal intensity, when 100 percent of the energy is derived from carbohydrates.

3. Even though a lower percentage of the energy is derived from fat during vigorous-intensity exercise, the total caloric expenditure is so much greater (twice as high or more) that overall the total fat burned is still higher than during moderate intensity.

4. If lack of time is a concern, you should exercise at a vigorous intensity for about 30 minutes, which can burn as many calories as 60 minutes of moderate intensity but only 19 percent of adults in the United States typically exercise at a vigorous-intensity level.”6

To learn more about this information you can visit:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/449059-do-your-

muscles-turn-to-fat-when-you-stop-weight-training/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/540672-do-sit-ups-

crunches-get-rid-of-belly-fat/

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-

eating/workout-myths-debunked-i-can-eat-anything-if-i-

exercise.html

http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/article/20130203/C

WS04/302030527/One-step-time

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3529284

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/aa112

701a.htm

All pictures are from Microsoft Word Clip Art

1 - Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness: A Personalized

Program 12th Edition - Hoeger/Hoeger, pg. 224

2 - Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness: A Personalized

Program 12th Edition - Hoeger/Hoeger, pg. 224

3 - Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness: A Personalized

Program 12th Edition - Hoeger/Hoeger, pg. 142

4 - Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness: A Personalized

Program 12th Edition - Hoeger/Hoeger, pg. 159

5 - Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness: A Personalized

Program 12th Edition - Hoeger/Hoeger, pg. 226

6 - Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness: A Personalized

Program 12th Edition - Hoeger/Hoeger, pg. 186