Diet vs. Exercise
Dear GreenSmoothieGirl: I know that a great diet coupled with lots of exercise is the healthiest approach for all of us. Having said this, I just listened to a guy on the radio say he is a gym rat and is in excellent physical shape for his age (approaching 50,) but he’s a junk food king. Which is worse: Great diet, little or no exercise, OR so-so diet, but great cardio and muscle workouts. Happy Mother’s Day! –Patti
Answer: It’s a funny question, and the answer may not even be helpful to anyone, but it will entertain me to answer it! Obviously it’s a terrible idea to have a bad diet OR live a sedentary lifestyle. But your guess about what I’m going to say is right: I think diet is even more important.
We do it all day long, eat food. It is so foundational. It’s the gas in the gas tank. When it’s hybridized, genetically modified, stripped of fiber and nutrition, or even made of nothing but chemicals (i.e. soda), your body doesn’t even have good fuel to work with, in a cardio or weight workout. Fuel is what builds every cell. With your weight, food is 80% and exercise is 20%. While I think both are critically important, nutrient density in your diet is probably the #1 most important issue for your health, and your emotional well-being. Stress management / attitude / ability to metabolize and move forward after negative events is the #2 most important factor affecting your overall health. Exercise is likely #3!
Posted in: Exercise, Lifestyle, Preventive Care, Whole Food
Two words: Jim Fixx Believed in running excessively, but not diet, and died of a heart attack while jogging. Dangerous to draw too many conclusions from that, but I think I’ll stick with both, and increase my odds…
Somebody once told me when I was frustrated with my weight, ” you can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet!”
Thank you for this. People just don’t want to face the fact that an hour on the treadmill won’t get rid of all the “super sizing” and mocha whatever’s they must have every morning.