Why is Nutrition Important When Exercising?

By Peter El Massry

Why is nutrition important when exercising? That is a good question that has been asked by many and answered by few. Overeager individuals seeking fitness through exercise often jump headlong into exercise without careful consideration of what goes in the body in order to fuel such physical activity.

Exercise like any form of physical stress elicits a whole series of responses by the body. The healthful benefits of exercise can be enormous when approached in a thoughtful manner. However, exercise if undertaken haphazardly can deplete the body of essential nutrients that can depress the immune system function leading to unnecessary and preventable illness or "dis-ease." One of the most common areas in which this is true is dehydration. People are chronically dehydrated to begin with because they simply DO NOT drink enough water. Strenuous exercise only exacerbates this condition and is something that can not be stressed enough. Yes, folks, drinking water is an essential part of nutrition!

Any form of exercise requires the body to expend more energy than normal. For those people seeking to lose weight, that is often the goal, because it is only when the body is expending more energy than it consumes that fat loss is triggered. It's a simple mathematical reality - one burn more calories than one is eating in order to lose weight. Nevertheless, even when one is undergoing exercise in order to lose weight, proper nutrition is essential in order to maximize the benefit of exercising, which includes building stamina so one can go faster, higher, harder, or longer. Nobody in their right mind would seek to fuel their workouts with french fries instead of fish (for example).

Even while exercising, proper nutrition is key. Despite the fact that you are eating less in order to lose weight the right foods can make all the difference allowing you not lose energy prematurely while spending those long hours at the gym or the park. Or on the other hand, if one is seeking to get stronger through weight lifting, the appropriate amount of protein is necessary to increase muscle mass -- without it no amount of training will perk up those pectoral muscles or buff up those biceps!

While considering why nutrition is important when exercising, it is critical to devise a plan that incorporates nutrition as a fundamental pillar in order to ensure successful results. An organized plan leads to favorable results and allows one to review what really works and what does not.

P. El Massry

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