Monday 9 June 2014

Food vs Exercise

''Weight loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise''  Have you heard this before?
I feel if you want to get fit you need to introduce both a healthy diet and a good workout routine in your life. They do go hand in hand but food definitely needs to be more in check and here's why...

Unhealthy Calories add up quickly
I usually burn around 350 calories in a 45 minutes  spin (RPM) session, this session is very intense and I am usually very very tired after my session. So to burn 350 calories is a lot of hard-work and lot of time.
If I plan to eat unhealthy just because I can workout and burn it off it is not going to be possible for me to workout that much. Consider a scenario where my snack choices are not very healthy. Just eating one chocolate muffin will add 465 calories which is more calories than how much I can burn in one workout session...
If I add a frappuccino to my muffin my calories go up to 600, then after lunch if I add a chocolate bar my calories go up by another 150. So just 2 unhealthy snacks in a day add up to 750 calories which will need me to workout for 2 hours at high intensity...is that really possible??? What happens if my other meals are equally unhealthy ? Will I ever be able to keep up?? think about it will you ever have that much time and energy to be able to cancel out all your unhealthy calories??

Food is the fuel that helps you workout better
How much effort you can put in your workout depends a lot on what food you eat. If you are calorie conscious and choose an unhealthy option for breakfast you will need to balance those extra calories either through your workout or by replacing your other meals. The problem is even if I manage to maintain my calorie range the unhealthy options are not very filling and the second problem is a lot of times the unhealthy options don't give you enough energy to workout at the same level as you could have with a better food choice.
So if don't choose proper food to fuel your body you will be either hungry or tired or both and that's never good for a workout.
No good food = hungry/ tired = not a good workout = less weight loss 

So does this mean you can never eat your favorite chocolate ever? Or never have a pizza in your life? No it just means you should understand the consequences of your choice instead of blindly believing your gym session will handle all the junk you eat

Hopefully this will make you think twice before you choose to eat unhealthy. knowing all this helps me make better decisions

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing  
Tanvee

(I am sorry about not replying to your comments on my previous posts, will get to that this evening.)

11 comments:

  1. Exercise is good but food is so important in our good health, which is why - my lifestyle is:

    Eating low carb, high fat, moderate protein.
    Exercising regularly
    Establishing a good sleep pattern

    We each have to discover, explore, research what suits our lifestyle, our health and well being ....then go for it.

    One life to live WELL.

    Take Care

    All the best Jan

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    1. Hi Jan, how are you? I usually try to stick to everything healthy and avoid processed food..more veg, fruits and meat/fish...sometimes i see the ratio of my carbs : protein :fat and that's when I stick to 30:40:30

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  2. Exercising is not a problem for me but the diet part is the worst part. (especially when you have someone at home who likes to bake)

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    1. Yes diet is definitely tougher...especially because you can do so many things that you enjoy for exercise..I love baking too but have not baked for a few months now...

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  3. True. I am happy with both but when I slack I slack for good :-(
    Lol

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  4. I think you need both! They both help stabilize your mood and give you energy on top of lowering the caloric input.

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    1. I agree with you, you definitely need both..but I have seen a lot of people assume they can eat anything just because they are regular with their workouts...

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  5. I realised it sometime back trying to best of healthy diet and good exercise. Thanks for explaining it in simple language. Hope i manage as i m food lover cNt control when i think or see yummy food.

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    1. Hi Gopinath, I am glad you found this explanation simple...I hope you are doing well :)

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  6. Doing fine. Going India this weekend for a week.

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