I was at a convention two weeks ago and had the opportunity to interact with top-notch professionals in the group fitness, personal training and exercise science fields. Besides being a little star struck with a few of them (after reading research articles they have written), I was able to get a refresher’s course on topics I learned back in school as well as some of the newest and latest research that has come out.

One of the most interesting presenters I took classes from was Dr. Jason Karp. He’s based out of San Diego, Calif., and has a PhD in exercise physiology. He’s also a running coach for elite athletes as well as the average Joe. This was my first encounter with him, but hopefully not the last. His lectures were based in scientific research and they focused on myths, misconceptions and misinformation that most of us have at least heard to be true throughout our lives when it comes to fitness.

One of the myths he addressed was the one I know I have heard at least one person say within the last week: “Muscle weighs more than fat!”

I too was one that believed this to be true until I took a human anatomy course in college in which the professor explained that 5 pounds of muscle when weighed will be the same as 5 pounds of fat; it is the density that makes the difference between the two. Muscle is more dense than fat because it has less volume for its mass. So the next time you here someone make that statement, show them how smart you really are and let them know the truth!

Another misconception that was actually brought up by several of my staff this week was one that involved eating after 7 p.m. How many times have we heard someone say “you’re not suppose to eat anything after (insert your particular time in here).”

Our bodies do not wear watches….well, if you have a watch on then technically your body is wearing a watch, but you know what I mean. What makes the true difference in the whole scheme of things is how many calories you are consuming versus how many you are expending. Bottom line…you want to burn more calories through the day then what you take in.

So hopefully you will be able to shine some light on these two subjects the next time you hear someone make one of these comments. One of the many things I learned over that weekend; and I hope you do now if you are not already doing it is to follow up with some research on these topics (of your own) to learn the real truth of the matter when it comes to anything in life.