With so many people trying to get into shape, they often decide to concentrate their efforts into just one area. Some choose to exercise every day thinking that because they work-out, they can eat whatever they like. Others restrict their diet believing that their health is based only on what they eat. The truth is, you need to dedicate time to both. If this sounds overwhelming, you'll soon realize that fitness and good food go together hand-in-hand. Here are six reasons why you must combine diet and exercise together for the best results.
In order to keep a healthy body, you need the proper vitamins and minerals, that's just basic nutrition. However, with the exception of vitamin D, you can only accomplish this through your diet. The easiest way to get the vitamins you need is through whole foods, supplements and Thrive. What is Thrive? It's an easy-to-use patch that provides nutrients to busy people who may not have enough time to fit all their meals into one day.
Building muscle is vital to your body for a variety of reasons. First, it increases your strength, but that's not all. Lean muscle also turns your body into a fat-burning machine. Your muscle mass raises your metabolism and, as you know, a higher metabolism helps you burn fat and lose weight. Muscle also helps strengthen your bones so you can avoid injuries. If you were to only focus on diet and not fitness, you'd miss the important benefits that come from strong muscles.
Lowering your cholesterol is something you can achieve through both diet and exercise. Decreasing the amount of saturated fats you consume from meat, eggs and dairy will help you get your LDL, or bad cholesterol, down. Increasing your fruits, vegetables and whole grains will help you to raise your HDL, or good cholesterol. Exercise can help, too, because it allows you to control your weight. When you weigh less, your cholesterol drops and so do your triglycerides which are another type of fat in the blood.
Balance is part of almost everything you do like walking, running and maintaining good posture. As people age, they're at an increased risk for falls and practicing balance exercises will help. When you perform balance training, you work on your core muscles that strengthen your back, keep your movements stable and help you avoid nasty tumbles. It's never too late to incorporate balance into your life through yoga or by doing stretches. Balance is yet another reason you need fitness in your life, even if you eat well.
If you exercise regularly, you need to offset it with proper hydration. Drinking water and eating a healthy diet are both needed to accomplish this. Staying properly hydrated helps cleanse the body, keeps your skin soft and supple and helps with weight loss. Aim to get enough water throughout the day and supplement with hydrating foods like cucumbers, watermelon, tomatoes and zucchini. Steer clear of things that hinder hydration such as excess caffeine and high-sodium foods.
By keeping your body flexible, you can avoid injuries throughout your life. The best way to stay flexible is by remembering to stretch every time you exercise. If you do cardio, or aerobic exercises, make sure to do stretches following your workout, but not before. Muscles should be lengthened and stretched while they're warm, not cold. Other exercises that promote flexibility are tai chi, yoga and use of an elastic stretch band.
If you've heard that you only need to concentrate on your diet, or exercise alone, remember that both are necessary. Doing one without the other cuts out important benefits such as building muscle, getting adequate nutrition and improving your flexibility. By making small changes at first, you'll discover how well fitness and eating nutritious food complement each other to give you a healthy body and increased strength.
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Reasons You Need To Combine Both Exercise and Diet - Teton Gravity Research
