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One of the biggest obstacles people have to overcome is losing fat is bad information. Here are some of biggest myths people believe while trying to get slim.

1. You Can Lose Fat In a Certain Area by Working that Area

There really is not a way to 'spot work' certain parts of your body. This myth is usually what causes people to do endless crunches to removes some of their belly fat or do a lot of curls to get rid of flabby arms. Your body just doesn't work that way. Resistance training helps build muscle in the area you are working. Cardio helps you burn muscle and fat all over. If you want to lose fat on any given part of your body, just make sure to do a well balanced resistance training routine and do and adequate amount of cardio.

2. If You're A Woman, Strength Training Will Make You Bulky

It's a shame to see so many women who want to lose weight shun the weights because they give in to this myth. In reality, men and women's bodies react very differently to strength training. For women, who naturally store more fat and more slowly gain muscle, it is practically impossible to get as large and bulky as a man. Sometimes women are spooked by images of female bodybuilders with male like physiques, but it is next to impossible to look like that even with a strenuous weight training routine. In reality, resistance training will help women lose weight, look slender, and build a tone body.

3. Sweating a Lot Means You Are Burning a Lot of Fat

There are a lot of factors that influence how much you sweat during a workout, but fat loss isn't one of them. Some people might suspect this because they might lose a bit more weight after sweaty sessions than not sweaty ones. But into those instances, you are probably just losing water weight.

4. Sports Drinks Help You Exercise

If you are like most people, and your workouts last for less than one hour, you don't need sports drinks. Sports drink companies make the claims that they do because their products contain sodium and sugar, which theoretically should help athletes and trainers have more energy to go longer than just plain old water. But it would require hours of exercise before you shot through your reserves of your these materials. So, if you are like most trainers, your water bottle is all you need to get through your workouts.

5. Resistance Training Won't Help You Lose Weight As Much As Cardio

This myth comes from the fact that, minute for minute, the time you spend doing cardio burns more calories than time spent doing resistance training. The problem with this line of thinking is that it ignores the fact that lean muscle requires a great deal of calories to maintain, and thus allows you burn more calories throughout the day, while you aren't working out.

Ideally, anyone looking to lose fat should build their workout routine with a combination of cardio, to actively burn calories and fat, and resistance training, to boost your metabolism.