Diet and Fitness: Healthy diet for a fit body?

Have you ever wondered why different gyms and fitness studios focus on the right diet along with regular exercise? Many people believe that if they are exercising regularly, then they do not have to restrict their eating habits. And people who are dieting think that it will be enough to reach their fitness goals.

Unfortunately, none of this is correct.

There is an extremely strong connection between a healthy diet and a fit body. Your personal trainers know this and that is why they focus on creating a proper diet plan along with your daily exercise routine.

Now that you know that diet and fitness are connected, let’s move further to find out how exactly specific eating habits impact your body.

Before we start things, there is one thing we must understand, our diet controls our weight. However, that does not mean you can start skipping meals to lose weight because our bodies do not work that way. We also need proper exercise to start using the stored fat when we are fasting.

How does your diet impact your fitness?

Our food gives us nutrients and energy to keep going throughout the day. However, some of these nutrients are more important for our fitness than others. So to make sure that you get those nutrients in good proportions, you need to eat a healthy diet rich in those nutrients.

A diet plan allows you to increase the nutrition necessary for your body by making you eat certain foods that contain different nutrients in more amounts as compared to other foods.

Here is what eating the right diet can do for your body.

Decrease body fat

Decreasing body fat can be hard, but with exercise and the right diet, it is very much possible.

To understand this, we need to first understand that there are two types of fats, the good fats (Mono-unsaturated fatty acids & Poly-unsaturated fatty acids) and the bad fats (Saturated fatty acids & Trans fat). When you eat foods with lots of bad fats, like a burger, fries, etc. your body starts to store up these fats in the form of bad cholesterol (Low-density Lipoproteins) which can lead to cardiovascular disease or blood vessel-related disease.

However, foods rich in mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids increase the metabolism of good cholesterol (High-density Lipoprotein) that absorbs the bad cholesterol and takes it back to the liver from where it is flushed out of your body.

Foods rich in omega fatty acids (Olive oil, fatty fish oil, etc.) have anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce the risk of heart disease.

So, when you eat less fat but right fat, it allows your body to start using the stored fat to convert it into energy for everyday activities.

Helps you to lose body weight

When you are eating food rich in nutrients while exercising, the fat storage of your body naturally decreases. Regular exercise helps in retaining your metabolism to process the nutrients that you eat in your daily diet.

However, if you are only relying on dieting (or skipping meals) without exercising then your body will start getting used to lower amounts of food. This will lead to a slower metabolism which is not good for your health and fitness.

When your body uses up the stored fat, you naturally lose weight.

Provide required nutrition

Eating is important, but eating the right food is just as important. And so, dieting is definitely not about eating less, it is about eating food with required nutrition for your body.

For example, if you wish to gain muscles, you need more protein in your diet. Protein is the building block of your muscles, as it is of the rest of your body. But if your diet is filled with foods that are not rich in proteins then gaining muscles will take a lot more time comparatively.

Foods rich in protein like meat, chicken, dairy, and nuts & seeds will then become a part of your regular diet to increase muscle mass.

With proper nutrition like this, you will be able to reach your fitness goal faster as compared to without the nutrition.

Increases Metabolism

Proper metabolism is necessary for fitness as well as your overall health. Although, as mentioned earlier, incorrect methods of dieting can mess up your metabolism rate. So, it is important to make the right decision while creating a diet plan.

It is always better to consult a dietician or your fitness trainer before deciding to take up a diet plan. They will be able to access your body and tell you what nutrients are required to reach a certain level of physical health and fitness.

Superfoods

Superfoods or Fitness foods are foods that are rich in different nutrients necessary to build health and stay fit. These foods are always good for your health, whether you are dieting or not.

  Here is a small list of popular superfoods that are packed with nutrition for your body and overall health.

·          Berries (Rich in antioxidants that keep your cells healthy, fiber)

·          Eggs (Proteins)

·          Lean meat like chicken and fish (Protein, omega fatty acids, and amino acids)

·         Soybean (plant protein)

·         Yogurt and other fermented food (Probiotics)

·         Citrusy fruits (Vitamin C)

These foods can be eaten whenever you want, even when you are not on a diet. The rich nutrients in these foods will help you stay healthy and fit from inside.

EndNote

Diet and fitness are interconnected. A proper diet is just as important as regular exercise for a healthy body and mind. However, that does not mean that you can skip your exercising.

A dietician or your personal trainer may help you chart out a better diet plan keeping in mind the requirements of your body and your lifestyle. So, join a gym and start working towards your fitness goal with regular exercise and a proper diet.

Do you agree with us? Or do you think we are missing something? Add to the conversation by posting a comment below. And if you are a gym owner check out our blogs for owners and let us know what you think in the comments.