More than anything else, the cornerstone of a long, healthy, and happy life is the scientifically proven link between fitness and nutrition. When you take advantage of this powerful link—by practicing good nutritional eating habits and by keeping your body active—you’re improving your chances of success in meeting your personal wellness goals, whether it’s losing a few pounds or maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

But as Dr. Anthony A. Goodman knows all too well, the world is filled with popular and dangerously misleading myths about food and fitness. Whether promoted by businesses or celebrities, these myths and half-truths have rooted themselves in our everyday lives; so deeply, in fact, that it’s often difficult to separate fact from fiction and to recognize when you’re doing your body more harm than good.

Most important of all: As scientific knowledge has greatly expanded our understanding of how the human body works, many previously held ideas about fitness and nutrition have become severely outdated. “When things change for the better and are based on sound principles,” says Dr. Goodman, “we need to be ready and able to make changes.”

Discover the scientific truths that counter popular myths about nutrition and fitness with Dr. Goodman’s insightful and rewarding course, The Myths of Nutrition and Fitness. Each of these six self-contained lectures explores in great depth the major myths, lies, and half-truths related to key components of fitness and nutrition. You’ll

• examine the pros and cons of various training and eating programs,

• learn strategies that will help you discern the truth behind popular myths,

• discover new ways to be healthy and physically active, and

• enhance your ability to make educated decisions about your own health.

Learn the Truth about Diet and Exercise

Dr. Goodman has designed each of these lectures to be a focused look at central themes and subjects related to fitness and nutrition. Each lecture unpacks myths you may have some passing familiarity with—as well as some you may have always taken for granted as scientific truth.

• Myths about foods to fuel your exercise: The best diet you can follow is three good meals a day. There is one single way to eat and exercise that works for almost everyone.

• Myths about proper hydration: You can never drink too much water. You should never try to hydrate yourself with anything containing caffeine.

• Myths about eating and exercise habits: If you eat food before bed, you’ll gain more weight. Targeted exercises on certain areas of your body will help reduce fat only in those areas.

• Myths about using vitamins and supplements: You cannot achieve optimal health without using multivitamins. If a supplement is natural, it’s healthy and safe for you to use.

• Myths about eating and exercise disorders: There’s no harm in losing weight quickly. Starting a rigorous exercise program in childhood will prepare kids for athletic success later in life.

• Myths about extreme physical activity: Athletes should always load up on carbohydrates before such activity. Given enough time and training, your body can adapt to any extreme environment.

With each of these and other myths, you’ll learn some of the stories about how they emerged and the scientific knowledge that helped us break them down.

Improve the Way You Eat and Exercise

You’ll also gain a wealth of practical tips and skills you can use every single day to improve and enhance the way you eat and exercise. And all of them are rooted in three simple concepts that Dr. Goodman sees as vital to overall health and wellness: science, moderation, and a willingness to listen to your body.

Here are just a few of the many pieces of solid advice and medically backed information Dr. Goodman has incorporated throughout The Myths of Nutrition and Fitness.

• When working out, it’s important to make sure your body has just a little more fluid and salt than it needs so that you can compensate for the losses you’ll incur while you exercise.

• Make your own sports drink—with just water, fruit juice, sugar, and salt—to save money and avoid the hidden health dangers from drinking too many commercial sports drinks.

• One or two hours before exercising, eat a light meal of about 200 calories that is low in fat, moderate in proteins, and high in complex carbohydrates to help improve your performance.

These and the numerous other helpful hints in these lectures stem from Dr. Goodman’s decades as a general surgeon, professor, and lifelong athlete. Dr. Goodman, whose courses on the human body and personal wellness have been wildly popular with Great Courses lifelong learners around the world, has carefully crafted this course to be a ready and accessible tool for better understanding this essential aspect of overall personal health.

So join him as he shows you, in just six fascinating lectures, powerful and true ways to transform your life for the better.