Let’s see how well you do at the following questions:
1. True or False? Muscle weighs more than fat.
False. A pound is a pound regardless of whether that pound is fat or muscle. Muscle is denser than fat and takes up a smaller amount of space in the body. In fact, scientists estimate that 1 pound of muscle occupies about 22% less space than 1 pound of fat!
2. True or False? “No Pain, no Gain” is a workout myth.
True. It is a myth because while some muscle aches and pains are normal when beginning a new fitness regimen, many types of pain are bad. Joint pain, bone pain, and muscle strains are bad. You should back off your training or the injuries will get worse.
3. True or False? The more you sweat during a workout, the more fat the body is burning.
False: The amount you sweat is indicative of your body’s ability to maintain its normal body temperature. You sweat when your body starts to store heat. There is no correlation to energy or caloric expenditure.
4. True or False? Active people need extra protein or protein supplements to build muscles.
False: Muscles develop from training and exercise. Extra servings of protein in foods or protein supplements do not assist in muscle development. A certain amount of protein is needed to help build the muscles, but a nutritious, balanced diet that includes 6-7 ounces from the meat/fish/beans and 2-3 servings of dairy every day will supply all of the protein that the muscles need.
5. True or False? Crunches and Sit-up are the best way to lose belly fat.
False: Your abdominal muscles are small comparable to your quadriceps or hamstrings or pecs, and you will burn less calories doing crunches than focusing on a full body routine that builds lean muscle all over. Strength training, cardio and a well balanced diet are the keys to success.
6. Yes or No? Does muscle burn calories even when the body is at rest?
Yes: When you exercise, you use muscle. This helps build muscle mass, and muscle tissue burns more calories than body fat, even at rest. If you had 10lbs of muscle, you would burn 50 more calories in a day of rest versus if you had 10lbs of fat, you would burn 20 calories.
7. True or False? The purpose of body fat is to regulate blood flow to major organs.
False: Fat has two main purposes.
A. It stores excess calories in a safe way so you can use the fat stores when you are hungry.
B. Fat releases hormones that control metabolism.
8. How many calories are in a gram of fat?
Answer: 9 calories
9. One pound of fat is equal to how many calories?
Answer: 3,500. You need to burn off 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose one pound. It is much easier to eat fewer calories than it is to exercise when it comes to weight loss.
10. True or False? The more weight you carry, the faster your metabolism can run.
True. Extra weight causes your body to work harder just to sustain itself at rest. This is one reason why it is almost easier to lose weight at the start of a diet and harder later on.
How well did you do?
