9 'Good' Habits That Are A Total Waste Of Time

5. Exercising (To Lose Weight)

Bad news guys, but exercise doesn't actually help you lose all that much weight.

Don't chuck your running shoes out just yet, exercise is still fantastic for your fitness. It makes you stronger, healthier, more resistant to heart disease, it reduces stress and even diminishes your risk of dementia. Exercise is great, but you can't outrun a bad diet.

The amount of actual calories burnt in your average gym session is probably not even enough to negate half of your breakfast, and if you eat a poor diet, no amount of sit ups will give you a washboard stomach - abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

The myth that you can outrun your beer belly is one that is perpetuated by the food industry. Companies such as Coca Cola promote the idea that their products are perfectly fine to consume, so long as you do some exercise. They purposefully diminish the role of diet in weight loss and deftly lay the blame for the obesity epidemic at your lazy feet, as opposed to their sticky, sugary ones. Sneaky.

The message is that everybody should be exercising to keep fit and healthy, but if you need to shift the pounds, look at your diet and stop taking health advice from soft drinks manufacturers.