CNN.com asked exercise physiologists, trainers and nutritionists about their most hated exercise myths.

Consider these the 8 persistent myths of fitness.

Your cardio machine is counting the calories you’re burning.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Mark Macdonald, personal trainer and author of “Body Confidence” about the calorie numbers spit out by the cardio machine.

Some machines don’t even ask for your weight or sex.

“It’s not asking your body composition,” he said. “If you’re at 18% body fat, you’re going to burn a lot more than if you’re female at 35% body fat.”

And how many people know their body fat percentage?

The number calculated by your machine is likely not accurate.

7) Women shouldn’t lift weights because it’ll make them bulky.

This one drives Alice Burron, a former female bodybuilder, crazy. She would spend four to five hours a day when she competed, trying to build muscles.

“You really have to overload those muscles to create bulk,” said Burron. “It’s very, very difficult.”

Women have too much estrogen to build large amounts of bulk. Guys build muscles faster because they have testosterone.

So ladies, don’t fear the barbells. Strength training helps decrease body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.

The government’s 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least three days of the week for kids and two or more for adults.

6) Your weight is the end all, be all.

Newbies hit the gym, and then weigh themselves every day on the scale.

Week-after-week, they see nodownward trend on the scale and get impatient.

People starting saying, “I haven’t lost any weight. This is pointless, I’m not accomplishing anything,” said Hutchinson.

After a few months of increased exercise, they are healthier because they’ve reduced risk factors such as blood sugar levels. Even though a person may not be losing weight, his health has improved in ways that might not be measured.

“They’re stuck in this paradigm that weight is the ultimate barometer for fitness. They don’t realize the progress they’ve made and give up.”

5) Low-intensity exercise burns more fat.

In general, low intensity exercise has its place — it’s less stressful on joints.

The myth is that if you exercise too intensely, you end up burning carbohydrates instead of fat.

It’s the most dangerous type of myth because there’s a kernel of truth in it, Hutchinson said.

The more intensely you exercise, the higher proportion of carbs you burn. You may burn less fat, but the total amount of calories burned is higher and that is the bigger picture.

When your body has burned up all the carbs, it starts burning fat.

“You can ignore zones and pay attention to how many calories you burn, which ultimately determines how much body fat you’re going to lose,” Fitzgerald said.

4) Chug a protein shake after workout.

“It’s eating another meal,” said Macdonald, a personal trainer who helped TV host Chelsea Handler get in shape.

Protein shakes, powders and bars are good for emergencies, but “they’re the lowest quality food.”

“You’re better off eating real food,” he said.

The products are more processed. The best way to get protein is through foods such as a turkey sandwich, Greek yogurt with nuts and fruit.

Martin Gibala, chairman of the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, agrees. “Protein sources in real food are Number 1. Cheaper and real food may provide other benefits, vitamins and minerals. And some of the components in food may act synergistically in ways we don’t understand.”

“When we isolate the compound we think works, it’s not as good as the real foods.”

3) You can spot reduce for tight abs or toned arms.

You may have crunched in vain.

You won’t see muscle definition or a nice six-pack despite how many crunches you do, because of the layer of fat resting on top of your muscles.

“Don’t focus on a body part. Try to get them all,” said Burron, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise. “You might have beautiful triceps — it may not be flopping all over the place. Until the fat is gone, most people wouldn’t know it’s there.”

2) As long as I go to the gym 30-45 minutes, that gives me a pass to do what I want for rest of the day.

The gym doesn’t negate a bad diet.

Also, emerging research suggests that if you’re sedentary most of the day, it may not matter how hard or often you exercise.

People who spend more time sitting during their leisure time have an increased risk of death, regardless of daily exercise.

Sitting for hours can shave years off life

In a study of more than 123,000 healthy people, the American Cancer Society found that women who spent more than six hours a day sitting were 40 percent more likely to die sooner than women who sat less. Men who sat more had 20 percent increased risk of death.

Essentially, those who sit less, live a longer life than those who don’t.

1) No pain, no gain.

“The ongoing perception is that people need to feel pain through the entirety of their workout or they’re not getting the benefit — that one’s very frustrating to me,” said Burron, a personal trainer. “You shouldn’t be exercising at a level of pain ever.”

Feeling discomfort during a workout is OK.

“If it’s so intense you’re thinking of passing out, you can’t continue this session for longer, then it’s too difficult and you’re at increased risk for injuries or burnout,” Burron said.

“You want to exercise smarter, not harder,” she added. “That’s the premise. You don’t have to kill yourself. You just have to be smart about it.”

I have talked about the following 3 areas before but want to reiteriate the importance of them as we head into the summer months. Exercise and nutrition are the 2 components to balance out your weight-loss or weight-gain formula. It’s a basic scientific formula: Caloric expenditure compare to caloric intake. If you are trying to lose weight your caloric expenditure must be more than your caloric intake. Caloric expenditure is the amount of calories you use throughout your day. Caloric intake is the amount of calories  consumed in your day. Note that caloric expenditure is not totalled just from the amount of exercise you do in a day but also comes from the amount of energy your body uses to stay alive; heart beating, breathing, digesting food, etc. This is called your basal metabollic rate (BMR). This can be figured medically at some doctor offices or gyms but you can also figure it by height, weight, and age….

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) – ( 6.8 x age in year )

With this said here’s a refresher on the 3 areas that will help you reach your goals!

EXERCISE
1.  The most important thing about losing fat is variety. You CANNOT LOSE BELLY FAT BY SITUPS AND DIET ALONE. I cannot make that more clear.

2.   By variety, I mean make sure you sample both strength training and cardio. Target at least 5 days a week as “exercise days” and vary your routine. This will keep your body from getting into muscle memory stage which will start to prevent results. Keep your muscles guessing by changing the routine daily. For example you can have total body days (groupFIT classes are perfect for this), upper body days, lower body days, cardio days, etc… The combinations are endless but should always include, cardio and resistance training.

3.  At this point, I’d like to mention that one pound of muscle can burn 30 – 50 calories on an active workout day (depending on how blessed with genetics you are). Ladies, strength training is NOT your enemy, and you will not bulk up provided you use light weights, or even better, resistance bands and body weight exercises.

-Aerobic days: use a treadmill, bike, or a group total body high calorie burn class such as groupFIT.  Your goal is to burn calories. (Guys: aim for bodyweight x 2.5 for calories burned. Ladies: aim for bodyweight x 3). [NOTE: adding incline to a treadmill will exponentially burn more calories.]

NUTRITION
1.  If you’ve looked into getting abs, you’ve heard it all before. Eat smaller meals more often! Ideally, you’ll want to shoot for 5 smaller meals, which is hard to do but do your best.

2.  Replace, don’t remove food from your diet! Some examples include: Instead of a “lean” 5 oz hot pocket, have 3 oz of light chunk tuna on whole grain bread. Instead of regular soda, try the newer diet sodas (NOTE- There’s still research out that the sweet taste may make you crave a snack, so have the soda with a meal)

3.  Lose the booze – This is the toughest one for some people. Beer can pack quite a wallop on the waistline, and the less said about mixed drinks is better. If you want to drink, stick with your diet soda and clear, unsweetened liquor.

4.  Foods that will help you on your way – There are some miracle foods when it comes to this.
-Nuts, of any sort. High in protein (unsalted, with no artificial sugary/salty flavorings)
-Eggs (less the yolk) - 2 hard boiled eggs with no yolk is my personal favorite post workout food. Filling, with the protein to boot!
-Spinach (try it with the spray-on dressing), high in nutrients and fiber
-Fish (wild salmon is a top choice when it comes to getting beneficial fatty acids, tuna, albacore, cod and tilapia are all wonderful alternatives)
-Chicken (Skinless. Skins tend to be laden with fat and unnecessary calories. Boiled chicken can be boring, so go ahead and spice it up with garlic, or a light marinade)
-Fiber One Bars (The snack industry has come a long way on good fiber products. Not only does this NOT taste like cardboard, but each bar has 9 grams of fiber!)

5.  Vitamins and minerals. Try and get these from food to increase the amount absorbed. If you absolutely must take vitamins, natural vitamin tablets have a higher rate of absorbing. Key vitamins/minerals include: Zinc, Iron, Chromium, Vitamins B and D.

BODY MAINTENANCE
1. You may be asking “What should I be doing on my off days?” The answer is simple. Stretch. 5 minutes, 2x/day is all you need.

2. Don’t use the workout as a reason to become complacent. Try to remain active.

3. Sleep/Rest is a must. Oversleeping/overresting is a don’t. 7 – 9 hours will be sufficient.
-Resting includes being sure not to run the same day of exercise 2 days in a row. If you want to do mostly cardio, do it one day, take an off day the next, and then do cardio after that.

Every year once January comes around I start thinking about Spring (warmer weather) and the beach. My family travels to Florida every year for vacation in the Spring, “spring break,” and hence I start dreaming about my perfect beach body. Well, I’ve never had a “perfect” beach body but I have my beach body and I try to make it “perfect.”  So how and where do you start when trying to slim down, tone up and prepare for those awful swimsuits!?!  First and foremost start moving. You cannot get into the winter slump and sit around until it warms up and the sun shines. Get to the gym, join a fitness program, do a workout video at home, or bundle up and get outside. You have to move to burn calories and you have to burn calories to lose weight. If you’re trying to tone up you still need to get moving. Besides exercise you must watch your nutrition. Once you get these 2 things mastered you have to maintain. Follow the following 3 tips to help get started making your “perfect” beach body!

EXERCISE
* The most important thing about losing fat is variety. You CANNOT LOSE BELLY FAT BY SITUPS AND DIET ALONE. I cannot make that more clear.

* By variety, I mean make sure you sample both strength training and cardio. Target at least 5 days a week as “exercise days” and vary your routine. This will keep your body from getting into muscle memory stage which will start to prevent results. Keep your muscles guessing by changing the routine daily. For example you can have total body days (groupFIT classes are perfect for this), upper body days, lower body days, cardio days, etc… The combinations are endless but should always include, cardio and resistance training.

*At this point, I’d like to mention that one pound of muscle can burn 30 – 50 calories on an active workout day (depending on how blessed with genetics you are). Ladies, strength training is NOT your enemy, and you will not bulk up provided you use light weights, or even better, resistance bands and body weight exercises.

-Aerobic days: use a treadmill, bike, or a group total body high calorie burn class such as groupFIT.  Your goal is to burn calories. (Guys: aim for bodyweight x 2.5 for calories burned. Ladies: aim for bodyweight x 3). [NOTE: adding incline to a treadmill will exponentially burn more calories.]

2. NUTRITION
* If you’ve looked into getting abs, you’ve heard it all before. Eat smaller meals more often! Ideally, you’ll want to shoot for 5 smaller meals, which is hard to do but do your best.

*Replace, don’t remove food from your diet! Some examples include: Instead of a “lean” 5 oz hot pocket, have 3 oz of light chunk tuna on whole grain bread. Instead of regular soda, try the newer diet sodas (NOTE- There’s still research out that the sweet taste may make you crave a snack, so have the soda with a meal)

*Lose the booze – This is the toughest one for some people. Beer can pack quite a wallop on the waistline, and the less said about mixed drinks is better. If you want to drink, stick with your diet soda and clear, unsweetened liquor.

*Foods that will help you on your way – There are some miracle foods when it comes to this.
-Nuts, of any sort. High in protein (unsalted, with no artificial sugary/salty flavorings)
-Eggs (less the yolk) - 2 hard boiled eggs with no yolk is my personal favorite post workout food. Filling, with the protein to boot!
-Spinach (try it with the spray-on dressing), high in nutrients and fiber
-Fish (wild salmon is a top choice when it comes to getting beneficial fatty acids, tuna, albacore, cod and tilapia are all wonderful alternatives)
-Chicken (Skinless. Skins tend to be laden with fat and unnecessary calories. Boiled chicken can be boring, so go ahead and spice it up with garlic, or a light marinade)
-Fiber One Bars (The snack industry has come a long way on good fiber products. Not only does this NOT taste like cardboard, but each bar has 9 grams of fiber!)

*Vitamins and minerals. Try and get these from food to increase the amount absorbed. If you absolutely must take vitamins, natural vitamin tablets have a higher rate of absorbing. Key vitamins/minerals include: Zinc, Iron, Chromium, Vitamins B and D.

3. BODY MAINTENANCE
*You may be asking “What should I be doing on my off days?” The answer is simple. Stretch. 5 minutes, 2x/day is all you need.

*Don’t use the workout as a reason to become complacent. Try to remain active.

*Sleep/Rest is a must. Oversleeping/overresting is a don’t. 7 – 9 hours will be sufficient.
-Resting includes being sure not to run the same day of exercise 2 days in a row. If you want to do mostly cardio, do it one day, take an off day the next, and then do cardio after that.

GOOD LUCK!

1. Try your best to continue your fitness plan. If you typically exercise 3 times per week continue to do so even when your busy.  It can be hard to fit in around the shopping , parties and traveling but schedule it in your day and get it done. Really work hard when you do find the time to exercise. Every minute counts. Remember the Holidays are only one to two weeks so bear down and stay motivated!

2. Get plenty of rest! Fatigue drains us mentally and physically making it hard to attain any type of schedule. Just because you’ve been invited to a party every night doesn’t mean you have to go to all of them. Listen to your body, if you’re worn out get some rest!

3. Find exercise in other ways! Enjoy time with your family and enjoy a wintery walk after dinner. Or better yet get out the Nintendo Wii and get off that couch and get movin. Invite the kids and even grandparents to join in too!

4.  Remember you have been doing so well this year don’t let the Holidays throw you off track. This is not the time to break your routine. Of course ENJOY your time with famiy and friends as that is what the season is about. However, try to make wise healthy choices when going through the food line. Maybe only 1 dessert instead of 2 ; )

5. Lastly, don’t beat yourself up if you do fall off track. Get back at it as soon as you can. One to two weeks isn’t enough to jeopardize everything you have worked for this year. Get back into your routine and and make it a healthier, stronger and wiser 2011!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!