Myth busters about exercise 

Myth: I‘m too old to exercise

Fact: keeping active is important at every age. If you’re feeling less fit than you used to, you may think it’s too late to make a change but it’s never too late to start or go back to being more active. You can get fitter and stronger well into your 80s and beyond. Regular activity is one of the most powerful things you can do to keep yourself feeling young and healthy in your later years.  

Myth: I don’t have enough time to exercise for it to make a difference 

Fact: while time is a common barrier, any amount of activity is beneficial – every minute counts. Even things you do every day count – power walking, chores or dancing are all great ways to get more active and help improve your health and fitness. 

Myth: It doesn’t matter what I eat as I‘m very active 

Fact: yes, I’m afraid it does. You may have heard the phrase, You can’t outrun a bad diet. This means that you can’t just eat what you want then you burn it off through activity. If you eat 2 chocolate digestives (about 166 calories), you‘d have to walk for around 35 minutes to use that energy! And food doesn’t just provide calories – you need to eat a balanced diet to get all the nutrients (lessential fats, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals) for good health. To be as healthy as possible means both a healthy diet AND physical activity. 

Myth: I exercise regularly so it doesn’t matter if I sit down all day 

Fact: more and more research shows that sitting for too long is harmful to our health, regardless of time spent exercising. Muscle tightness and joint pain/discomfort are common in people who spend a long time sitting in the same spot. Even if you do 30 minutes of activity each day, you still need to limit how long you spend sitting down. 

Myth: I just need to do sit-ups if I want a flat tummy 

Fact: a common myth is that you can target a particular area of the body with specific exercises. If only it was that simple! While we can strengthen certain parts of the body with specific exercises (like sit-ups), it won’t lead to fat loss in the area. That comes down to reducing your calories slightly and gradually increasing how much activity you do.

Myth: There is a best time of day to exercise 

Fact: the reality is that the greatest gains come to our health from just doing it, no matter when you fit it in! The key message is to get active at a time that works for you. 

Myth: I’m too unhealthy for it to make a difference 

You may feel that if you smoke, or are living with overweight or obesity, or eat a poor diet, there’s no point in being more active. But the fact is that moving more has many benefits, regardless of what else is going on in our lives. Being active reduces your risk of: 

• heart disease and stroke 

• type 2 diabetes 

• cancer 

• early death 

• osteoarthritis 

• hip fracture 

• falls (among older adults) 

• depression 

• dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease