There are gyms that focus simply on the best workout and places that highlight nutrition, whether it’s to help you lose weight or just be your healthiest. The truth is, you really need both to be your fittest and to shed pounds quickly. While you can’t out-exercise a poor diet, lack of exercise makes losing weight extremely difficult. Not only does exercise help burn calories, it stokes your body’s furnace to burn more calories around the clock and boosts your strength, endurance and flexibility for a fuller life.
It’s about more than calorie or carb counting, it’s about nutrients.
It’s almost impossible to say which is better, exercise or diet. If you’re trying to lose weight, diet will be a top priority, but the two actually go hand-in-hand. It’s why we offer both personal training and nutritional guidance. Eating a healthy diet with a large variety of fruits and vegetables means you’ll get not only the major nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, but also phytonutrients that provide many additional benefits and fiber.
Healthy eating ensures a great workout.
You have to have enough calories and the right nutrients to have the energy for a good workout. A healthy diet includes all three macronutrients, fats, protein and carbohydrates. You need all three. If you want to start immediately, just cut out processed foods and foods high in sugar. Sugary foods will slow you down and interfere with your energy level. Stick with leafy greens, colorful vegetables, a lean protein source and some healthy fat, such as nuts.
Exercise improves your digestion and your microbiome.
You are never alone. You have trillions of microbes in your body that go with you everywhere. Most of them are in your gut and help to digest your food so you can reap the benefits of healthy eating. When you workout, you actually increase the healthy microbes, making your digestion better. Exercise helps protect the digestive tract and studies show it lowers the risk of colon cancer, diverticular disease and constipation. Exercise increases microdiversity, so you’ll get more nutrients from the food you eat and have better digestion.
- Do you have a problem with recovery after a tough workout? Maybe your diet isn’t as healthy as it should be. If you’re sore and tired for days after your last workout, it should be the first place to check.
- Some foods can help you feel fuller longer, such as healthy fat and protein. You still need carbs for the energy to get you through the workout.
- When you eat is also important. Having a snack of carbs and protein before a workout can make your exercise more effective. Eating protein and some carbs afterward can boost recovery.
- We feel so strongly that both diet and exercise are equally important, we provide help for both. Our nutrition program, like our workouts, are personalized so you get maximum benefits.
For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors