For a healthy lifestyle, is diet or exercise best? We test six important scenarios
Lose Weight
The reason: As research makes clear, trimming calories from your diet is the most direct route to a smaller dress size. "It's much easier to cut 500 calories than to spend an hour in the gym burning 500 calories every day," says Timothy Church, M.D., Ph.D., director of preventive medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University. However, both diet and exercise are essential for keeping that weight off.
Boost Energy
The reason: Exercise causes the brain to pour out invigorating neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, says Patrick O'Connor, Ph.D., an exercise psychologist at the University of Georgia. People who train consistently report surges in energy, according to some 70 studies.
Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
The reason: "If you had to focus on one nutrient that would lower your heart disease risk, it would be omega-3 fatty acids," says William Harris, Ph.D., director of the cardiovascular health research center at the University of South Dakota. In studies, omega-3s from oily fish lower heart disease risk by up to 64 percent. That said, working out does strengthen your cardiovascular system.
Prevent Diabetes
The reason: Nearly 10 million American women have diabetes. Achieving a healthy weight through diet and exercise is the strongest defense against the disease, but physical activity has a slight edge. Active muscles gobble up glucose from the blood for fuel, which helps keep blood-sugar levels stable.
Prevent Cancer
The reason: Eating a mostly plant-based diet and exercising regularly remain the gold standard for warding off cancer. Keep in mind: Studies have found the more consistently you work out, the greater the protection.
Improve Mood
The reason: A 20-minute sweat session can be enough to perk up your mood for a whopping 12 hours, reports a University of Vermont study. It may also be as effective as medication for treating depression in some people. And exercise can lead to changes in the brain that strengthen your resolve against stress.
~Destiny
Listen to your body. It will tell you all you need to know.
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Quoting sjc0858:
VERY true but the trick is to not look at it as a "diet" (the definition that society has changed the word to) ...but rather a lifestyle change and know that you will not give up what you love, just modify:)
So very true!!! Well said!!!
Quoting olgabillman07:
I've always heard that eating healthy is 80% of your total weight loss. I lost a huge portion of my weight from eating healthy first. Then, I started adding in exercise slowly. It sped up my metabolism, especially once I started building muscle.
Great article!
EXACTLY how I lost my weight! I did not focus on doing ANY exercise for awhile. With me decreasing my calories, my normal day to day activities (which people tend to forget is considered exercise) was enough for me to burn fat. I think people try to do too much at one time and get overwhelmed. The point is to eat and exercise how you want to live. Going to the gym for 3 hours a day like some of my friends do was not only a time issue for me but also a personal dread! I do believe there are some folks who LOVE to exercise that way but I am not one of them....and sometimes the folks who do exercise that way, do not eat ENOUGH and will not lose as a result. Can be very frustrating but SO exhilerating once you figure out your body and how it runs.:) Thanks for reading my ramble. lol
Quoting alyandalsmom:
Quoting sjc0858:
VERY true but the trick is to not look at it as a "diet" (the definition that society has changed the word to) ...but rather a lifestyle change and know that you will not give up what you love, just modify:)
So very true!!! Well said!!!
Thx! I was hoping that made sense. lol
Herbalife?
- DestMasters
on Jul. 6, 2010 at 8:37 AM