By Marcelle Hutchins
When it comes to fitness, there's a lot of misinformation on the web and beyond. Such myths could potentially hold people back from achieving lasting results.
Meet Nicole Chaplin, celebrity fitness enthusiast and owner of Bella X Fitness Boutique NYC who is all about helping her clients reach their fitness goals.
Chaplin has a long list of accomplishments. She's been featured on Women's Health, Oxygen Magazine, VH-1, ABC's Good Morning America, and she landed the number 2 spot on Shape Magazine's 50 Hottest Trainers in America. She's also the author of her book, YES MAM! Your Muscle As A Motivator.
We caught up with Chaplin to find out more about her approach to fitness. She also helps us identify fact from fiction when it comes to fitness.
BCB: How long have you been a certified master trainer and where do you teach your classes?
NC: I've been a certified master personal trainer for 5 years. I teach my specialty classes once a month all over NYC and special dates across the US, most frequently in Miami, FL.
BCB: You refer to your style of training as "spicy and fun," explain what you mean by that.
NC: Since my parents are Jamaican, I have that island upbeat lively attitude so pairing that with my fitness knowledge equals me being spicy and fun.
BCB: What is Bella X Fitness and how exactly does it work?
NC: Bella X Fitness is the name of my fitness boutique company. It means Bella Extreme Fitness. I want everyone to be the best version of themselves. Bella means pretty, therefore my goal is for everyone to feel pretty or handsome from head to toe and start from the inside out.
5 Fitness Myths, Busted 
Fitness myth No. 1: Doing crunches or working on an ab machine will get rid of belly fat.
NC: Fact. Ab machines are effective. The deciding factor of how successful you are with the ab machine depends on how many reps and sets you do, and making sure you're eating well daily.
Fitness myth No. 2: You need to sweat for 45 minutes to get a healthy benefit.
NC: Myth. To be heart healthy the goal is 20 minutes per day of cardiovascular exercise.
Fitness myth No. 3: If you're not working up a sweat you're not working out hard enough.
NC: Myth. The truth is that sweating is your body's mechanism to cool the body. People who are more fit are more likely to sweat more because their body is efficient at cooling. Women tend to sweat less than men for that same reason. But it does not indicate that lack of sweating equates to not enough effort.
Fitness myth No. 4: Machines are a safer way to exercise because you're doing it the right way.
NC: Myth. Using machines to exercise can lessen the potential to hurt yourself, but if you don't know how to maneuver the equipment properly you can still cause an injury.
Fitness myth No. 5: Stretching helps your body to recover faster.
NC: Fact. Stretching can help improve flexibility, and, consequently, range of motion in your joints. Better flexibility may improve your performance in physical activities or decrease your risk of injuries by helping your joints move through their full range of motion and enabling your muscles to work most effectively. Stretching can aide in lessening muscle soreness with aids with your body recovering faster.
Find out more about Nicole Chaplin on her website.
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