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Most all the trainers I’ve spoken to say that this myth, that’s right, myth, is mostly associated with women not wanting to lift weights. The idea is that why would I want to lift heavy weight and build muscle only to have the muscle turn to fat when you stop exercising. You’ve probably heard this myth enough times as well. But have you ever stopped to think: Not does muscle turn to fat when you stop exercising but can muscle actually turn to fat when you stop exercising. The simple answer is would be to ask: Does hair turn to skin if you don’t shampoo and condition it? No. Therefore, under no circumstance does muscle turn to fat when you stop exercising.

Muscle and fat are two different kinds of tissues and barring X-Men, one kind of issue does not turn to another kind of tissue. What’s amazing about this myth is that despite everyone knowing that muscle and fat are tow kinds of tissue, they still believe that muscle turns to fat when you stop exercising. So how exactly did this myth come about?

The myth comes from the visual results of exercising on muscle and fat. When you exercise regularly, you burn fat and your muscles become stronger and leaner. Lean muscle occupies less space than fat. Therefore, your body looks tauter and stronger because of less fat and more lean muscle. Also, since your diet and nutrition supprots your exercise programme, you ensure that you maintain this lean and strong look.

Now imagine if you stop exercising for an extended period of time: Your muscles start losing their definition and begin looking like they did before you started exercising. Now, if you don’t adjust your diet and nutrition to your new life without exercise, you will stand a higher chance of storing your fat. If you ditch your old diet altogether and start eating unhealthy, you will definitely start storing fat. Therefore, when you stop exercising – you lose your strong muscle tone and start putting on fat – leading people to believe that their muscle turned into fat.

Bottom Line: You should never stop exercising. Adjust your diet and exercise programme to your age and lifestyle but never stop exercising. That way you will ensure that you’re healthy and you’ll never have to worry about the myth that muscle turns to fat when you stop exercising.