Why Diet Is as Important as Fitness
The food we eat plays a vital role in how we look and feel.
Regular exercise is important but according to research, nutrition has the largest impact on our fitness – eating right allows us to reduce body fat, lose a few pounds, feel more confident and reduce our risk of illness.
Studies have proven that exercise alone cannot drive significant weight loss, primarily because the majority of us unknowingly compensate for the calories that we burn by being more physically active.
Whether this is in the form of excess snacking or grab-and-go food choices, our subconscious eating habits can easily counteract the benefits of even the most strenuous daily exercise regime.
Food is our Medicine
There are many reasons why we should pay attention to what we eat. The processed, low-variety foods many of us consume regularly may be convenient and tasty, but they compromise our health.
We especially need to pay attention to what we eat when we are sick so we can give our bodies the nutrients it needs to heal.
Overall, seeing your food as medicine helps you make better decisions about what (and how) to eat in order to make the best decisions for your own wellbeing.
Nutrient-dense foods, or “superfoods,” include lean proteins, healthy carbohydrates, and fats essential to our health.
Superfoods are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Antioxidants are shown to reduce inflammation in our body, helping us fight disease and illness. Inflammation is said to be the leading cause of many diseases. Powerful antioxidants in leafy greens and vegetables, for example, help detoxify the body removing harmful chemicals.
Some superfoods contain compounds that increase our metabolism for more efficient fat burning. Red peppers contain a molecule called capsaicin shown to enhance the rate we burn body fat.
What are Fitness Foods?
The term fitness food is interchangeable with superfoods.
Eating a diet rich in fitness foods is essential to our health.
Incorporating healthy nutrition and knowing what that means is vital to achieving a lean and healthy body.
The following is a list of foods favoured by fitness enthusiasts:
- Oats (high in fibre, improves digestion/increases metabolism)
- Eggs (protein source, muscle building)
- Greens (antioxidants, reduces inflammation)
- Apples (antioxidants, reduces inflammation/increases metabolism)
- Lean meats/fish (amino acids, protein source, muscle building)
Fitness is not just about beating your track time, or pumping iron at the gym, it’s also about eating healthy and eating well to support a healthy microbiome in your gut, restore proper functions in your entire body, and speed up your post-workout recovery.
With that in mind, be sure to make nutrition your primary concern and you will have no problem ensuring a lifetime of happiness and well-being.