When it comes to fitness, it’s easy to fall victim to “get fit quick” gimmicks and schemes.
Below, Team Challenge National Coach Dave McGovern debunks five myths that can take your fitness off course.

Fitness doesn’t come in a bottle.
Americans spend nearly $25 billion per year on nutritional supplements. Although there is some evidence that certain supplements may marginally help, nothing does the job like the combination of exercise and healthful dietary choices.

Don’t fall for “seven-minute workouts.”
You can’t possibly achieve much in the way of cardiovascular fitness, endurance or weight loss in only seven minutes, or four, or ten minutes. All things being equal it takes 35 miles of running and walking to burn a pound of fat! By working out seven minutes a day it will take about five weeks to lose that pound of fat. Compare that to a consistent, honest, 30 — 45 minutes per day, combined with a healthful diet, and you can easily lose one to two pounds per week.

Keep the “Toning Shoes” in the closet.
The only way a pair of shoes will get you fit is if you wear them while walking or running. Shoes don’t help you get more toned — exercise does!

Yoga–alone –won’t improve fitness.
Yoga has become very popular as a fitness activity. And although it certainly is great for enhancing flexibility, balance, and even to some degree, strength, yoga shouldn’t be all you do for cardiovascular fitness.

Don’t forget the “other stuff.”
Stretching, strengthening and core work that are so important for complete fitness. The one thing that will help you to become a better runner or walker is more running and walking, but to do that you have to keep from getting injured. Spending a few minutes warming up before your workouts, stretching afterwards, and finding some time during the week for strength training and core work can keep you on the roads for the long run.
Team Challenge is the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s endurance training and fundraising program. Through Team Challenge, you can run or walk 13.1 miles or train for a triathlon while helping to find cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two chronic and often debilitating digestive diseases that impact 1.4 million Americans. To join Coach Dave McGovern and Team Challenge in 2014 at one of their great destination races and to help find cures for IBD visit www.ccteamchallenge.org In exchange for fundraising, Team Challenge participants receive personalized training by professional run and walk coaches in local markets for an entire season. Additionally, the training program includes clinics and helpful tips on topics like nutrition, hydration, and injury prevention. Participants also receive an expenses-paid weekend to a great destination race covering race registration fees, lodging, meals, and travel accommodations.