Nutrition and physical activity go together like bread and butter for our bodies. Wait, did I say bread?

Carbs! Run away!

Butter? Oh yeah…lots of butter!

Exercise is going to take our lives to a better fitness level along with four other major things:

• Flexibility
• Strength
• Muscle endurance
• Cardiovascular health.

Dieting alone is not going to be able to give you all of these health benefits – you must be physically active. A diet will help you to lose weight, but a total body enhancement needs to have a dietary change along with physical activity.

One thing to remember is that a bad diet can affect the way that your fitness training goes even if you follow the best type of exercise plan that you can.

You need to put a healthy diet and a lot of exercise together to stay as healthy as you can!

How long you need to exercise to keep as healthy as you can?

The statement most say is that the “average person” needs at least 20 minutes of exercise three times a week.  This doesn’t sound like much, but this  will help to strengthen your cardiovascular health and your overall fitness. Basically, those three times of 20 minutes, gets you off your rear and moving in the right direction.

The “average person” may need 20 minutes three times a week, but what do you need?

Maybe you need more? Maybe you are not settling for average, but you are pursuing excellent. Make that 20 minutes 6 days a week.

Maybe you work out your upper body 3 times a week for 20 minutes and then your lower body 3 times a week for 20 minutes?

20 minutes is not that long. You can do it.

How Many Calories Should I Burn?

You will hear others say that another good idea to keep in mind is that you should burn 3500 calories in a week by doing any sort of physical activity.

The benefit of burning 3500 calories changes you and your heart as well. Burning calories that you gain while eating begins to change your body. You are using that energy in your physical activity. You are literally burning those calories.

You may need to burn less than 3500. Maybe 1500 is the goal you begin with at first, then progress to 2000, then 2500, etc.

Proper nutrition helps when you are burnign your calories. The proper diet will aid you in your physical goals.

NOTE: When you start any type fitness plan it is a good idea to speak to your doctor/medical professional to find out what exercise plan is going to be best for you. When you speak with your doctor discuss special concerns like blood pressure, hypertension and any special diet needs that you have.

Does Diet Make a Difference?

Simply put, YES!

Having a healthy diet and exercise plan can do many things for your overall well-being. You will feel better, have more energy and find yourself wantin to do more.

Did you know that you can use diet to control high blood pressure? 

Throughout the years, studies have discovered that exercise has a role in keeping blood pressure from increasing. 

Did you know that a reduction of sodium into your body, weight loss and limited alcohol use, along with the increased amount of physical activity and a low  fat diet, you can control hypertension?

Further, there is also growing evidence that weight bearing exercises like walking, dancing, running, sports are very good for good bone health. Physical activity makes you stronger and better. You can do it!

Remember, exercise alone cannot make your body healthy. 

You need to have a good healthy diet that provides the proper calcium, vitamins and minerals along with the adequate amount of exercise to keep your body working great for the rest of your life.

Are you ready for a change?

Are you ready to change your diet?

Are you ready to change your physical activity?

This is your new day.

You can do it!

It is not as hard as you think.

But…it will take time and some difficult choices. You can do it when you have focused your mind for the long-term benefits of living better.

Many times we may have the knowledge, but it is making the choice to apply that knowledge which makes eating healthier a difficult action. Remember, just because you may have knowledge, does not mean you are using your knowledge.

If you currently do not eat a healthy diet, it can be difficult to start but healthy eating is important for maintaining bodily function and living a disease-free life. If you struggle with healthy eating, then you know that breaking unhealthy habits can be the most difficult part of the process.

However, if you truly want to live the best lifestyle possible, it is important to follow tips in order to start eating a healthier diet.

A good beginning step when you want to start eating more healthily is to remove all the food that do not fit into “healthy categories” from your home. Start by removing the foods you have that are tempting you to keep up an unhealthy lifestyle. Keep junk foods and sugar-laced beverages out of your house so you will not be tempted to snack during the day.

If you’re worried about getting hungry, keep healthy snacks like carrot sticks, yogurt, fresh fruit, or whole-wheat crackers on hand. If you find you just cannot bear to toss out the sweets, try keeping something tiny on hand, like chocolate chips. Eating a few of these won’t ruin your diet but also will give you that little sugary fix you rave.

If you’re worried about what to drink once the sugar-laced beverages are gone, keep a water bottle handy and sip on water throughout the day. There are also various sugar-free, natural flavor add-ins you can use with water. Keep lemons and limes on hand to add to your water to give it a flavorful kick.

Another great step to healthy eating when you first starting the process is to take a few moments to learn about what foods are the healthiest for you and how they work in the body. Most people understand that fruits, vegetables, and low-fat means and dairy products are good for you, but few people understand why.

The key is learning about nutrients. When you understand how specific nutrients work in the body, you will be more likely to make these healthy choices for your body. Knowledge really is power!

When cleansing yourself to prepare for a new healthy diet, you should also take into consideration your schedule for meals. If you often eat in a rushed hurry at odd times of day, you probably are not getting the best foods possible. So, plan ahead!

Instead of grabbing a fast food lunch on the go, take a bagged lunch to work, complete with a healthy wrap and some fresh vegetables. Plan ahead for healthy meals in the evening as well by cooking ahead if you are not currently getting healthy dinners and have little time to cook when you get home every night.

Start with baby steps!

Even if you only replace one soda a day with a glass of water, you are really improving your calorie intake. If you eat fast food every day for lunch, try replacing that even half of the time. When you start by taking small steps, it does not seem like you are cutting out all of the foods you love and you can take your time to learn about healthy foods which you can love equally as well.

Check back for more to come!