As we say hello to 2009, many people are looking to say goodbye to holiday pounds.

"I feel a lot better about myself when I workout," Bob Holmes said.

But gym members like Linda Hoffert and Holmes say you first have to find the truth about certain fitness myths in order to get in shape safely.

"In the past, I thought you just had to diet and not worry about exercising," Hoffert said.

Hoffert learned quickly that working out and eating healthy go hand in hand.

"If we come in here and burn 300 calories, then go to McDonalds and eat a Big Mac, [you] just undid the hour and a half workout," trainer Shana Crouse said.

Trainer Shana Crouse said people often think "no pain, no gain". But she said workouts should be challenging, not painful.

"In the grand scheme of things, if your knees and back are hurting, you're probably doing something incorrectly," Crouse said.

The trainers at Lifestyle Family Fitness said believing in the myths could do your body more harm than good.

"It leads to injury and frustration. People may plateau," Crouse said.

Crouse also said getting in shape involves the entire body.

"One of the most common myths is that we can spot train the body. So if we do a lot of abs, we'll lose fat in the abs; leg exercises thin the thighs. That's not true. We lose fat over the entire length of the body," Crouse said.

The bottom line is to get educated before you begin working out. Crouse said with the proper training you can get the results you are looking for.

Here is a list of myths:

• Exercise is all that matters.
• It's possible to melt away fat from target areas of the body.
• It's okay to work you abs every day.
• Women will bulk up.
• No pain, no gain.

To learn more about fitness myths click here.

Related Links

1. Lifestyle Family Fitness