You’ve probably heard them whispered in locker rooms, shouted by influencers, or maybe muttered inside your own head: the fitness myths that refuse to die. They’re sneaky little things—like weeds in your garden, stealing nutrients from the real growth. And worst of all? These myths don’t just waste your time. They crush your motivation.
If you’ve ever felt like giving up on your fitness journey, chances are you’ve been haunted by at least one of these lies. Let’s rip them out by the roots.
Myth #1: No Pain, No Gain
Ah, the battle cry of every bad '80s workout montage. Sweat pouring, muscles screaming, someone yelling “Push through the pain!” Sure, it makes for great cinema. But in real life? It’s a one-way ticket to Burnoutville with a layover in Injury City.
Here’s the truth:
- Discomfort is part of growth. Think of your muscles like teenagers—they grumble when you challenge them, but they come back stronger.
- Pain, however, is a red flag. Pain is the body’s version of flashing hazard lights on the highway. Ignore it, and you’ll be pulled over by the Injury Police.
Believing this myth makes people chase intensity at the expense of consistency. They torch their motivation faster than a gas station burrito torching your digestive system.
Myth #2: You Must Be Perfect With Diet and Exercise
Raise your hand if you’ve ever said, “I’ll start over Monday.”
(Be honest. Your hand went up, didn’t it?)
This is the all-or-nothing myth—the sneakiest of them all. It convinces you that if you don’t hit every macro, crush every workout, and drink nothing but kale juice, you’ve failed.
Here’s the problem:
- One missed workout becomes two.
- One slice of pizza becomes, “Well, the whole week is ruined, might as well eat the entire pizza.”
- And suddenly you’re in a shame spiral powered by pepperoni.
But perfection is a mirage. You chase it across the desert and wind up dehydrated, sunburned, and angry at yourself for not arriving.
What actually works? Progress over perfection. A 20-minute walk beats zero minutes. Two balanced meals beat none. Fitness isn’t about a flawless report card, it’s about stacking small wins until they tip the scale in your favor.
Why These Myths Kill Motivation
Think about it: if you believe you have to destroy your body in every workout and eat like a monk with a kale fetish, how long are you realistically going to last?
Not long.
These myths create impossible standards. They set you up for failure before you even start, leaving you exhausted, discouraged, and ready to quit. And once motivation slips through your fingers, climbing back feels like trying to scale a greased rope.
A Better Way Forward
Here’s the good news: you don’t need perfection. You don’t need to suffer. You need consistency: the boring, unsexy, but incredibly powerful magic trick of fitness.
- Missed a workout? Do the next one.
- Ate more cake than planned? Drink some water, move your body, and move on.
- Feeling sore? Listen to your body, stretch, and maybe swap that heavy lifting day for a walk or mobility session.
Little by little, the small actions stack up. Think of them as bricks. One by itself doesn’t look like much. But keep stacking, and suddenly you’ve built a fortress strong enough to keep those nasty myths outside the gate.
The Takeaway
Fitness isn’t about chasing unicorns made of abs and kale. It’s about showing up, doing the work you can, and letting time and consistency work their magic.
Helpful Tip: Next time you feel the urge to “start over Monday,” pause and ask: What’s one small action I can do today? It might be a 10-minute walk, a glass of water, or one set of push-ups. That one action is enough to break the myth’s spell.
Because the truth is this: motivation doesn’t vanish because you’re lazy, it vanishes because you’ve been lied to. Stop believing the myths, and you’ll finally see how doable, sustainable, and yes—even enjoyable—fitness can be.
~Coach Christie