Diet and Exercise: Getting and Staying in Shape
As the saying goes, abs are made in the kitchen — but are they really? It has been hotly debated whether diet or exercise has more of an influence on your overall health or muscle tone. At Get Adjusted Chiropractic, our team believes that a holistic, healthy lifestyle should include positive choices in all aspects of your routine.
The Argument for Exercise
It is important to set intentions when creating strides towards a healthy lifestyle. Making sure you’re staying active and moving your body is crucial, whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, or maintain your current shape. If weight loss is your goal, only a portion of the weight loss will be fat — without adding exercise to your routine. In order to lose weight, your body needs to be in a calorie deficit. It might be easier to maintain that calorie deficit with strictly a diet change, but when exercise is removed completely, you’re losing muscle tone and bone density along with some weight.
“The goal when getting healthy is not the number on the scale — that shouldn’t be your focus when trying to ascertain a healthy lifestyle,” explains Dr. Justin Lewis. “Anyone can lose weight, but you want to be able to lose weight and keep it off. Making simple changes and additions will really help to impact health goals.” Exercise not only keeps your heart pumping and boosts your mental health but it also stimulates metabolic tissues. With exercise, your weight loss will primarily burn the extra fat your body carries while adding to your muscle tone.
“You don’t need to run marathons or climb a mountain every week!” says Dr. Justin Lewis. “It doesn’t matter what you do when you exercise, the point is just to do something and sweat!”
The Case for Eating Smart
A balanced diet is a vital component of health and wellness, just like your routine chiropractic visits and daily exercise. The key to maintaining your weight loss is to burn more calories than you ingest, also called negative energy balance. Pairing exercise with an improved, healthy diet can help you achieve this goal. Eating healthy and making positive dietary choices is directly linked to your overall wellbeing. It’s much easier to create the calorie deficit needed for weight loss through diet, however, this should be done in a smartly and after consulting your doctor.
“Food is fuel — it’s what you are giving your body to thrive and burn calories,” states Dr. Justin Lewis. “If you fuel your body with unhealthy food choices, you can’t expect your body to perform at its peak, help with weight loss, and achieve healthy habits.” It is definitely possible to lose weight with a strict diet and no exercise, but if your nutritional choices outweigh your energy expenditure through exercise, that will counteract all of your hard work! You can make easy changes to your routine, like limiting snacking, choosing meatless options when possible, and starting your day with a healthy breakfast.
“A lot of people skip breakfast. It’s a total misconception that if you eat less than you’ll lose weight,” says Dr. Justin Lewis. “You need to eat breakfast, it’s essential! Your metabolism is responsible for burning calories, and this starts when you put something in your mouth. You need to eat something healthy when you wake up to jumpstart your metabolism.”
Prevent long term pain with Get Adjusted Chiropractic! Book an appointment online today or call our office at 845-809-8300 to schedule a visit with Dr. Justin Lewis.
