You Can’t Out-Exercise a Bad Diet!
Ever heard that one before? It’s one of the most common pieces of advice you will hear. One of the most common misconceptions people have is that if they work out they can eat whatever they want. This is simply not true.I'm guessing you'll have to run 17 straight hours to burn this offThe most strenuous forms of exercise (i.e. running, rock climbing) will burn up to 700 calories per hour, depending on how heavy you are, and your muscle composition. A double-fudge covered cookie contains about 200 calories…eat four of those and you’ve lost the benefits of that one hour of strenuous running. Aside from the fact that most people can’t sprint for an hour straight, you get the point of how 60 seconds of bad eating negates the effect of 60 minutes of hard exercise.
The way your body looks depends 90% on your diet. Aside from your body fat %, your skin texture, hair, nails and mood are also affected by what you eat. Don’t get me wrong…exercise is very important in order to maintain a good body composition (fat vs. muscle), aerobic capacity and uplifted spirit, but don’t think you can just go ahead and eat whatever you want just because you went to the gym today.
Aside from the above, having a healthy eating plan has many other benefits, among them being:
1. Blood sugar regulation
When you properly plan your meals and the times you will be eating you assist your metabolism in establishing a proper rhythm, avoiding the energy highs and lows associated with an erratic eating schedule.
2. Portion control becomes an easy task
When you pre-determine what you’ll be eating, you automatically regulate your portions which can be virtually impossible when you try to do so on autopilot. You can eat 100% healthy foods and still gain weight if you eat them in excess quantities. Also remember the 80% rule…eat until you’re 80% full and still able to move around comfortably.
3. You’ll get all your nutritional requirements
A proper nutritional plan contains all the elements needed to maintain a healthy physique, and that includes all your vegetables, fruits and proteins. By keeping track of what you’re eating, you’ll be sure that you’re eating adequately from all these groups.
4. Saving money on food
If you know what meals you’ll be eating throughout the week, you can make a comprehensive grocery list provided you stick to buying ONLY what is on that list!
5. You can cheat, and enjoy doing so
Yes, you read correctly. I absolutely insist that most of my clients have one cheat meal per week that includes a plate of whatever food they want, including soda pop or an alcoholic beverage PLUS a dessert. By including a cheat meal, you may better be able to stick to your weekly plan and be able to enjoy your favourite foods, minus the guilt.
So as you can see from all of the above, nutrition is very important. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to hear people complaining that they put in a lot of effort to exercise without seeing results. Maybe they’re getting bad advice, or thinking that because Michael Phelps eats 10,000 calories a day they can too. Michael Phelps probably swims 10 hours a day, and has a super-fast metabolism because he’s been doing so for years. Since neither of us is Michael Phelps, I recommend a moderate eating plan and exercise schedule of at least 3 times per week. Good luck!
The way your body looks depends 90% on your diet. Aside from your body fat %, your skin texture, hair, nails and mood are also affected by what you eat. Don’t get me wrong…exercise is very important in order to maintain a good body composition (fat vs. muscle), aerobic capacity and uplifted spirit, but don’t think you can just go ahead and eat whatever you want just because you went to the gym today.
I'm guessing you'll have to run 17 straight hours to burn this off
Aside from the above, having a healthy eating plan has many other benefits, among them being:
1. Blood sugar regulation
When you properly plan your meals and the times you will be eating you assist your metabolism in establishing a proper rhythm, avoiding the energy highs and lows associated with an erratic eating schedule.
2. Portion control becomes an easy task
When you pre-determine what you’ll be eating, you automatically regulate your portions which can be virtually impossible when you try to do so on autopilot. You can eat 100% healthy foods and still gain weight if you eat them in excess quantities. Also remember the 80% rule…eat until you’re 80% full and still able to move around comfortably.
3. You’ll get all your nutritional requirements
A proper nutritional plan contains all the elements needed to maintain a healthy physique, and that includes all your vegetables, fruits and proteins. By keeping track of what you’re eating, you’ll be sure that you’re eating adequately from all these groups.
4. Saving money on food
If you know what meals you’ll be eating throughout the week, you can make a comprehensive grocery list provided you stick to buying ONLY what is on that list!
5. You can cheat, and enjoy doing so
Yes, you read correctly. I absolutely insist that most of my clients have one cheat meal per week that includes a plate of whatever food they want, including soda pop or an alcoholic beverage PLUS a dessert. By including a cheat meal, you may better be able to stick to your weekly plan and be able to enjoy your favourite foods, minus the guilt.
So as you can see from all of the above, nutrition is very important. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to hear people complaining that they put in a lot of effort to exercise without seeing results. Maybe they’re getting bad advice, or thinking that because Michael Phelps eats 10,000 calories a day they can too. Michael Phelps probably swims 10 hours a day, and has a super-fast metabolism because he’s been doing so for years. Since neither of us is Michael Phelps, I recommend a moderate eating plan and exercise schedule of at least 3 times per week. Good luck!
