How Diet and Exercise Work Together For Optimal Health
In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded with new diet fads, exercise trends, and get-thin-quick gimmicks. With so much information being thrown at us each day, it can be hard to stay focused on what’s important. People who consistently maintain a healthy body don’t get caught up in these trends – instead, they focus on diet and exercise, using both as tools to stay healthy.
What Makes A Healthy Diet?
The term “healthy” is relative – it means something different to everyone. For some people, a healthy diet means you eat only whole foods and nothing processed. For others, it means you’re eating as much protein as possible, even if that protein isn’t the best quality.
There are so many diets out there – keto, paleo, vegan, pescatarian, Mediterranean, etc – and each claims to be the best. The truth is that what makes you feel your best may not work for the person next to you. Your friend might thrive on a vegan diet and get perfect blood test results, while the same diet might make you feel tired and lethargic.
Ultimately, whatever food leaves you feeling satiated while balancing macronutrients and micronutrients is best. Macronutrients are the three main building blocks of food: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. The body needs carbs for brain fuel, protein to build muscle, and fats to help you absorb vitamins and provide energy. While each macronutrient plays its own role, they’re all important for energy.
With that in mind, it’s also important that you’re getting your nutrition from high-quality sources. For example, Cheetos might be a good source of carbs and fat, but you can get higher quality carbs and fat from apple slices and peanut butter. Higher quality foods tend to be less processed – think fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and lean meats.
By eating this way, you can focus on fueling your body with nutrients rather than counting calories or obsessing over one macronutrient. One study found that people who limited refined grains, processed foods, and sugar, while focusing on whole foods instead, lost significant amounts of weight, regardless of portion sizes and without calorie counting.
Mediterranean diets have also proven to be better for you, specifically because they contain lots of plant-based whole foods which are rich in fiber. The diet has been linked to decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
Exercise for Overall Health
Exercise is much less complicated than diet. We know that movement is important. It’s how our ancestors lived for thousands of years. Having desk jobs and spending the majority of our days sitting is a relatively new phenomenon that our bodies are not equipped for.
Regular exercise increases blood flow, which strengthens the heart while also improving circulation. Additionally, oxygen levels increase in the body which helps with organ health and lowers the risk of high cholesterol, heart attack, and coronary artery disease. Maintaining consistent exercise also keeps blood pressure and triglyceride levels low.
So what’s the best form of exercise? There isn’t one. What matters most is that you find an exercise routine that you enjoy and can stick with.
Walking has proven to be great for almost everyone, as it’s low impact but improves overall cardiovascular fitness. Weight lifting and resistance training are important for building muscle. Pilates, running, yoga, water aerobics, kickboxing, CrossFit, powerlifting – all of these are great exercise options. What matters most is that you’re getting at least 30 minutes of moderate activity each day.
The Diet And Exercise Connection
Many people choose to do additional exercise to burn off a “bad” diet. Others try to eat less as a way to balance out a lack of exercise. Ultimately, exercise and diet are both incredibly important for overall health and they serve different purposes. Diet provides you with the vitamins, nutrients, and energy needed to live a normal life. Exercise strengthens the body, provides blood flow, and maintains healthy muscles and organs.
Some people believe in the 80/20 rule – that health is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Rather than trying to adhere to a number, it’s more important to find something that works for you. Trying to maintain someone else’s standard of healthy is an impossible feat that usually ends in failure. Find a way to incorporate whole foods into your diet, while still treating yourself to foods you love. Look for an exercise routine that keeps you engaged, entertained, and coming back for more. By doing as much as you can in each area, you’ll find that your body and mind are happier and healthier than ever.
More information :shorturl.at/hqrBK
