Muscle cells cannot transform into fat cells. When exercise stops, muscles shrink but calorie intake remains the same, so excess calories are stored as fat. Spot reduction through localized exercise is a myth - fat comes off the entire body. High intensity workouts burn more calories than long, moderate workouts due to a higher post-workout metabolic rate.

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Fitness Myths

2. Do My Muscles Turn Into Fat If I
Don’t exercise them after a while?

3. NO!

4. Here’s Why:
 Muscle Cells are Muscle cells, fat cells are fat cells. One
cannot transform into another.
 What happens is called Muscle Atrophy, or the shrinking
of cells due to not using the cell, or in this case your
muscle cells.
 When you stop working out, the muscles shrink. Even
though the person stops working out, they still continue
to take in as many calories. Since the body is burning
less calories, it takes in the extra calories and stores
them as fat. This is what leads to the increase in fat in
the body, and therefore excessive weight gain.
Works Cited:Textbook page 236, “Big Fat Fitness Myths” By: Aschwanden, Christie. Health (Time Inc. Health). Sep2000, Vol. 14 Issue 7

5. Check It Out For Yourself
 Watch Exercise Myths Video Which Talks
about Muscle Turning Into Fat Myth:
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/video/fitness-myths
 Read Article by Christine Aschwanden:
“Big Fat Fitness Myths”
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6. Can I spot Reduce Fatty Areas?
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7. No

8. Here’s Why
 Spot Reducing is the theory that
exercising a specific part of the body will
result in fat loss in that area.
 When exercising, fat comes off the entire
body, not just the place exercised.
 The greatest amount of fat will come off in
the greatest fat deposit of the body first.
Works Cited: Textbook Pg. 164

9. Check it out For Yourself
For More Information on the Myth of Spot
Reducing, read: “Fitness Facts: Hit or
Myth.” in Tufts University Health &
Nutrition Letter; May2005, Vol. 23
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10. If I do a lot of sit-ups will I get rid of
my belly fat?
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11. No

12. Here’s Why
 Doing a lot of sit-ups to reduce belly fat would be
a form of spot reducing, which is proven to be a
false theory.
 Doing the sit-ups will not make you lose fat on
your midsection, but throughout your entire
body.
 Furthermore, Sit-ups do not generate the caloric
output to reduce the total body fat, you have to
do a lot more exercising than that!
Works Cited: Textbook pg. 164

13. Check it out for Yourself
 For More Information about ways to lose
belly fat, check out Lifetime Physical
Fitness and Wellness Twelfth Edition
Pages 164-165
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14. If I work out a lot can I eat whatever
I want?
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15. No!

16. Here’s Why
 On top of exercising, you should be eating healthy in
order to help gain all of the nutrients you need to keep
up with your active lifestyle.
 The recommendation for men 19-30 years old for daily
food amounts is 3 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruits, 8
oz. equivalents of grain, 6 ½ oz. equivalents of protein,
and 3 cups of dairy product.
 Along with these recommendations, you should watch
your sugar intake as well. The American Journal of
Nutrition states that consumption of 2 or more
sweetened beverages per day can increase your risk for
heart disease up by 23 or 35 percent.
Works Cited: Textbook pgs 70-73

17. Check it out for yourself
 For more information, go to
www.choosemyplate.gov to find the
appropriate nutrition recommendations
specifically for you.
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18. Does a short workout at high
intensity burn more calories than a
long workout at moderate intensity?
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19. Yes!

20. Here’s Why
 Although somewhat still effective, long moderate intensity workouts
do not burn as many calories as a high intensity workout will due to
the fact that the metabolism runs higher longer after.
 Although, in a light intensity workout, you still burn 50% calories
from fat, you have to do the process twice as long as doing a short
vigorous workout to get equivalent results.
 Example: If you worked out lightly for 30-40 minutes, you would
burn 200 calories, 100 calories from fat. If you worked out at high
intensity during those same 30-40 minutes, you would burn 400
calories, 120-160 of them coming from fat.
Works Cited: Textbook Pgs. 161-162

21. Do It Yourself
 In order to understand this method, try it!
 Samples of High Intensity workouts are
seen in Lifetime of Physical Fitness and
Wellness Twelfth Edition on page 321,
and further benefits of high intensity
training are on page 298
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