The health and fitness industry has experienced a tremendous growth spurt in the past 15 years. It started in Hollywood (of course) with movie stars hiring personal trainers in the 1940s and ’50s to get them primed for the silver screen. As time progressed, movies like Philadelphia with Tom Hanks and Staying Alive with John Travolta required intensive physical training for the main stars. Then, Jane Fonda came on to the scene with her hugely successful workout videos. But along with the progression of exercise and fitness came myths that refuse to disappear. With clever sales pitches and video- and photo-editing capabilities, sometimes the truths of exercise can be exaggerated. Here are some exercise misconceptions of which to be aware.

It’s virtually impossible to pick a spot on the body and reduce it. Depending on whether you’re male or female, your body has a natural evolution of where and when weight is lost. Typically, it starts from the head down. It seems the weight from men’s waists and women’s hips and thighs is the last to go. So stay away from doing thousands of abdominal crunches to reduce your waist size – it just doesn’t work.

Exercise doesn’t have to be painful. It should be enjoyable, yet challenging. While we do need to stress and challenge the muscles, you should understand the differences between good pain and bad pain. An injury will only set you back, and if you always have a painful experience at the gym, you’ll stop going. A personal trainer can help customize an exercise routine that puts the right amount of pressure on your muscles, while motivating and supporting you to ensure you’re having fun.

Exercise should be incorporated into your daily routine just like eating dinner and brushing your teeth. Spending hours at the gym isn’t too realistic for today’s lifestyles. Think of exercise as a bucket that needs to be filled. Throughout the week, you should work toward filling up the bucket. Balancing your workouts with strength and cardio exercises will help you reach your goals faster. And don’t forget about household chores and things like taking the stairs – those activities count as exercise!

While it’s true that exercise burns calories, it doesn’t give you carte blanche to eat whatever you want. We still have to consider the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and other health conditions. Your diet should contain foods that are high in fiber, protein and vitamins, as opposed to processed foods that are high in sugar and fat.

Stay away from advertisements and products claiming to help you lose weight or add muscle quickly. There’s no such thing! Those amazing before and after pictures may not be real, and the claims are usually misleading. Stick to the tried-and-true approach of a healthy diet paired with an exercise routine based on progression, consistency and balance.

A healthy, balanced lifestyle is easily within your reach. I recommend you do a little research to find the workout environment that’ll best provide the motivation and fun you need. Talk to your friends, check out a local health club or schedule a session with a personal trainer. The key is having fun and feeling good about yourself.

I’d love to hear about what’s working (and not working) for you. Feel free to share your stories or questions with me at editor@uptownpub.com.