Exercise and Fitness Quiz: Test Your IQ

A pound is a pound regardless of whether the pound is fat or muscle.

The truth about muscle is that it's 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!

Fitness can be achieved through small changes in what you eat and your level of activity. It's really that simple. Remember that you can start out slowly; work your way up to a higher level of activity, and implement more dietary changes over time.

Patience is essential. Don't try to do too much too soon, and don't quit before you have a chance to experience the rewards of improved fitness and a healthy diet!

"No pain, no gain" is a workout myth because while some muscle aches and pains are normal when beginning a new fitness routine, many types of pain are bad for you.

According to Jeffrey Berg, an orthopedic surgeon and team physician for the Washington Redskins, "There are other aches and pains, such as joint pain, bone pain, muscle strains, and ligament or tendon strains, which are bad, and you should back off of because they'll get worse if you ignore them." He adds, "Always ease into an exercise plan to avoid injury. The recommendation is if you're healthy and you know it, you can start exercising, but err on the side of being too slow than too fast to avoid injury."

It's a fact that weight loss is the main reason people exercise at all, but losing weight is certainly not the only benefit of exercising and should therefore not be the main goal.

If you're starting a fitness program, don't make weight loss your only goal! Strive to feel better or to have more energy. You'll get more out of your program if you notice the small payoffs that exercise provides in a very short amount of time.

Each workout should begin with a warm-up. A warm-up should include 5 to 10 minutes of exercise such as walking, slow jogging, knee lifts, arm circles, and/or trunk rotations. Warming up is important to help prevent injury. It also helps to maximize benefits from exercise.

"This is false," says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. "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 so you can experience cooling via evaporation of that sweat. So it doesn't correlate to how much energy, or calories, is being expended."

Frequency, duration, intensity, and what kinds of exercises you do should be determined by what you are trying to accomplish. Your goals, your present fitness level, age, health, skills, interests, and convenience are among the factors you should consider. Still, you can reach your fitness goals in as little as three workouts per week!

The best thing about regular physical activity is that everyone can benefit from it. You are never too old to enjoy the benefits of regular physical activity!

Being physically active can prevent and help treat many of the most common chronic medical conditions associated with aging. Physical activity is one of the most important steps older adults can take to maintain physical and mental health and quality of life.

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/bean/egg group and 2-3 servings of dairy every day will supply all of the protein that the muscles need.

Research shows that exercise is the silver bullet for a better quality of life. Not only does regular exercise aid in weight loss, it reduces your risk for several chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis.

Forget doing hundreds of crunches and sit-ups in an effort to lose belly fat. The truth is that on their own, they are not likely to help the body lose that stubborn gut.

Here is what works: a full-body exercise routine that builds lean muscle all over. The best plan for this is regular exercise, resistance training, and a healthy, calorie-controlled diet.

When you exercise, you use muscle. This helps build muscle mass, and muscle tissue burns more calories than body fat, even when the body at rest.

According to Christopher Wharton, PhD, a certified personal trainer and researcher with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, 10 pounds of muscle would burn 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn 20 calories.

Believe it or not, you can skip the gym. There are plenty of exercises you can do at home or outdoors using your own body weight and gravity. Examples of some easy at-home exercises are push-ups, planks, jumping jacks, squats, and lunges.

The term aerobic exercise or aerobics is interchangeable with the term cardio. Cardio refers to cardiovascular fitness exercises. Both terms refer to brisk physical activity that requires the heart and lungs to work harder to meet the body's increased oxygen demand. Aerobic exercise (cardio) promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood.

Examples of aerobic exercise include running, swimming, and cycling.

It is not true that lifting weights will result in a bulky appearance.

According to Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, "This is a myth that deters a lot of women from strength training, when in fact, what determines the amount of muscle bulk a person has is largely dependent on genetic factors."