The Relationship Between Food and Exercise
There is an undeniable relationship between food and exercise.
Food provides energy.
Exercise burns energy.
But exercising only to “burn” the calories you consume can make it feel like there is a direct transaction happening between the foods you eat and your workouts. This mindset might make you think that the answer to weight loss is simply eating less, training more, or both.
This transactional thinking can be problematic for a number of reasons:
1) There are so many other amazing benefits of exercise
Exercising shouldn’t be done as punishment for eating an extra slice of cake or to “earn” your food. We want you to exercise because of all the wonderful physical and mental health benefits it can bring you!
Some of those incredible benefits include:
- Better stress management and reduced risk of depression
- Stronger bones and muscles
- Reduced risk of some cancers
- Reduced risk of heart diseases
- Stable blood sugar and insulin levels
- Improved cognition
- Better sleep
- Better sexual health
- Longer life
The list goes on, but on top of all these benefits, exercise can help you do all the things you love in life. Whether it’s playing with your kids and grandkids, traveling the world, dancing with your spouse, hiking on the weekends, walking up the stairs to your favorite restaurant, or spending an afternoon in the kitchen baking, you need to have the physical strength and endurance to do these things for life!
Making exercise a part of your routine is essential to living a healthy and fulfilled life!
2) Calories aren’t only burned in the gym
Considering food and exercise as a transaction is problematic because the reality is that the gym is not an effective way to burn calories. In the scheme of things, your body burns more energy just through your daily activities than in an hour session in the gym. This is called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT).
Making movement a part of your life, through actions like a standing desk, regular walks, taking the stairs, going grocery shopping rather than ordering online, and throwing in a random 10 air squats every hour, is a far bigger bang for your buck than focusing only on exercise in the gym.
This doesn’t mean skipping your gym sessions though! Remember all the benefits we listed above.
3) It creates an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise
Considering food and exercise as a direct transaction can create an unhealthy mindset. Instead of exercising for the sake of loving your body and eating to nourish it, the relationship can be turned into a mechanical calories in, calories out.
Over time, this can spiral into restrictive eating habits and obsessive exercising. But again, the relationship between what you eat and your gym sessions are not the only factors that can influence body composition changes, and body composition changes are not the only reasons to eat and move!
4) It ignores other factors that influence weight loss
Along with NEAT, there are so many other factors that play a role in weight loss beyond exercise. Sleep, hydration, digestion, food quality, hormones, stress, environment, and circadian rhythm all have their part to play in metabolism, losing fat, and gaining muscle.
Neglecting to address these factors can not only prevent weight loss, but also have long-term health consequences. It’s essential to think beyond food and exercise.
Eating food is calories going in. Exercising is calories going out. But these actions are so much more than this oversimplified transaction.
Eat and move for mental acuity, to enhance your daily function, and to help you live a fulfilled life. Not just to consume and burn calories!
OPEX Gyms are here to help reframe the relationship between exercise and nutrition and teach you how to use both to enhance your life. Find an OPEX Gym near you and get started today.
FAQs
Studies suggest that eating or drinking carbohydrates before exercise can help you do better during your workout. And the carbohydrates may allow you to work out for a longer time or at a higher intensity. If you don't eat, you might feel slow-moving or lightheaded when you exercise.
What is the relationship between healthy eating and regular exercise? ›
Food can either help or hinder a workout, and research shows that combining a healthy diet with adequate exercise offers more benefits than improving diet alone. View Source . The right combination of fluids, carbohydrates, and protein eaten at the right time can improve athletic performance and decrease fatigue.
What is the relationship between physical activity and food intake? ›
Associations between Physical Activity and Eating Behavior Motivation. Individuals who engage in more physical activity have a more self-determined regulation of their eating habits, whereas those who engage in less physical activity have a less self-determined regulation of their eating habits.
What is the relationship between nutrition and fitness? ›
Without nutritious food, physical fitness cannot be achieved. Food is the fuel of our body. Food with high nutritional content boosts our stamina and helps us exercise better. It is scientifically proven that nutrition can help you enhance your physical health, athletic performance, and fitness.
Why is there a link between physical activity and nutrition? ›
Eating smart and being active have similar effects on our health. These include: Reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and some cancers and associated disabilities. Prevent weight gain and/or promote weight loss.
What is the relationship between eating and exercise? ›
Studies suggest that eating or drinking carbohydrates before exercise can help you do better during your workout. And the carbohydrates may allow you to work out for a longer time or at a higher intensity. If you don't eat, you might feel slow-moving or lightheaded when you exercise.
How are food and fitness related? ›
There is an undeniable relationship between food and exercise. Food provides energy. Exercise burns energy. But exercising only to “burn” the calories you consume can make it feel like there is a direct transaction happening between the foods you eat and your workouts.
How does your food affect your physical activity? ›
Good nutrition can enhance sporting performance. A well-planned, nutritious diet should meet most of an athlete's vitamin and mineral needs, and provide enough protein to promote muscle growth and repair. Foods rich in unrefined carbohydrates, like wholegrain breads and cereals, should form the basis of the diet.
How do nutrition and physical activity go together? ›
Good nutrition can help enhance athletic performance. An active lifestyle and exercise routine, along with eating well, is the best way to stay healthy. Eating a good diet can help provide the energy you need to finish a race, or just enjoy a casual sport or activity.
What is the relationship between healthy eating and physical wellbeing? ›
A well-balanced diet provides all of the: energy you need to keep active throughout the day. nutrients you need for growth and repair, helping you to stay strong and healthy and help to prevent diet-related illness, such as some cancers.
According to Colleen Alrutz, health and fitness manager at Piedmont Newnan, when it comes to shedding pounds, diet wins 70 percent of the time. To fast-track your weight-loss results, couple a healthy diet with regular physical activity. When it comes to keeping the weight off, exercise wins.
What is the relationship between food fitness and weight? ›
It's no secret that the amount of calories people eat and drink has a direct impact on their weight: Consume the same number of calories that the body burns over time, and weight stays stable. Consume more than the body burns, weight goes up. Less, weight goes down.
What is the relationship between nutrition and physical development? ›
Nutrition impacts a child's physical growth as well as brain development. Nutrition also impacts a child's emotional and cognitive development. A child with proper nutrition is often able to maintain a healthy weight and perform well in school in addition to having a decreased risk of illness or disease.
What is the relationship of physical activity exercise and eating habits? ›
Higher levels of physical activity may have greater effects on eating behavior motivation. Physical activity may lead to a higher rate of weight loss success, in part because of its effects on eating behavior, such as more flexible food constraints and a lower pattern of emotional eating [13].
Why is it important to combine nutrition with exercise? ›
Eating healthy foods together with a regular fitness lifestyle (say, simple jogging, squat, or walking) can go a long way to keep common health complications such as high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, some cancers as well as heart disease off your body.
What is the role of nutrition in exercise? ›
Nutrition is important for an athlete because it provides energy required to perform the activity. The food they take leaves an impact on strength, training, performance and recovery. Not only the type of food is important for sport nutrition but also the time is equally important for what they eat throughout the day.
What is the relationship between exercise and good health? ›
Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being.
Why is healthy eating and exercise important? ›
Research has shown a healthy diet and regular physical activity in childhood can reduce the risk of chronic disease later in life [5,6,7]. A healthy diet, considered a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plant proteins, and dairy products, provides the essential nutrients needed for growth and development.
What is the relationship between healthy eating and overall health? ›
Having too much sugar, salt, or fat in your diet can raise your risk for certain diseases. Healthy eating can lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other health conditions.
