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(NaturalNews) It's common knowledge in the health and fitness world that you need to find a plan that works for you and stick with it to lose weight and reach your optimum health goals.  But here's the thing - we're not robots, nor are we immortal.  In any successful exercise and weight loss program there needs to be room for flexibility and forgiveness. 

Big Health and Fitness Lie #4: You Must Work Out 7 Days a Week for 30 Minutes Each Day…

If you're a robot.

I laugh when people say you should exercise six to seven days a week for at least 30 minutes. Not because it's bad advice - it's just not realistic to start.

When I hear this, I get a silly image of cavemen logging their 30 minute cardio workouts on their cave walls.

They just didn't do it. They just moved. That's all they did and it's all you have to do too, in terms of exercise.

So if it's not six to seven days a week for 30 minutes, then how much exercise is the minimum you should be doing?

Three to six hours a week - anytime. Just move when you feel like it, rest when you don't. It's that simple. This program will give you all you need to know about how, when and where.

And if you're good at math and saying "wait a minute, those numbers are just about the same," then you're right. They are. But it's all about perspective. This whole article series from my book "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution"  (www.TheBusyPersonsFitnessSolution.com) is about changing your perspective.

If I tell you that you need to workout for seven days a week and you miss two days, what happens? You realize you've created an impossible goal.

Eventually you'll lose some steam and start to feel bad that you're not sticking to the program.

Further along in this book, I've laid out a simple way for you to keep track of your activity using a point system instead of hours. All you need to do is accumulate a certain number of points a week and you're on the fast track for fitness success. You can use it or you can keep track of hours, just don't get caught in the "number of days" exercise trap.

You won't believe how easy it really is.

Big Health and Fitness Lie #5: No Pain, No Gain

I thought this saying went out with the bodybuilding craze of the 80's, but I am still amazed to hear people mutter those 4 words in the middle of a tiring workout.

You know you shouldn't be hurting, you know that the "no pain, no gain" philosophy is wrong, but you're still pushing too hard.

Pain means stop.

And this is exactly what I make sure anyone I'm working with does when they're in pain. I want you to do the same.

Your body diagnoses what's going on inside with extreme efficiency. If something smells, you don't eat it. If something tastes bad, you spit it out. If something rubs, you get a blister.

If something is getting damaged, you feel pain.

Why on earth do we continue to push through this pain?

There are probably a few reasons. One that I think is most revealing is that we've applied a mental ideal or construct to combat a physical fact.

If you're a salesman and you don't like cold calling, but go out and call 1000 people, you'll most likely be rewarded by more sales, a bigger paycheck and a nice new car. That makes sense. This is the mental "No pain, no gain."

You have to break out of your comfort zone.

But on the physical side, pain is a fact - not a mental construct. If you have pain in your lower back, there is actually a physical issue, muscular or skeletal, that needs attention. If you keep doing whatever it is that is hurting you, you will eventually do irreparable damage.

The salesman isn't in this type of danger - he just doesn't like making phone calls. This is an emotional belief or a discomfort, not a physical fact. He will not tear a muscle and not be able to physically walk away from his desk if he makes a couple of calls.

An important distinction between pushing mentally and pushing physically is that your body has limits, your mind does not. If it hurts, don't do it. Assess if you're doing it right, and then try it again.

If it hurts twice, give it a rest and maybe try again another day.

Don't force your fitness and risk an injury that could damage your body and interfere with your health and fitness for the rest of your life.

This article is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni's "The Busy Person's Fitness Solution" which can be found at www.TheBusyPersonsFitnessSolution.com

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