How to Get the Perfect Balance of Exercise and Diet
If you’re looking to get fitter and healthier, finding the perfect balance between your exercise regime and diet can be difficult. Whether this is the first time you’ve decided to overhaul your lifestyle or you’ve tried in the past, it’s important to understand why having the perfect balance will help you sustain the changes for longer.
Why is balance important?
Exercise and your diet work hand in hand. When done together, you’re more likely to notice changes and improvements to your overall health and wellbeing. Not only will you start to feel better about yourself physically and mentally, making these lifestyle changes can have an impact on the rest of your life too. Just think about all the energy you’ll have to complete your working day, or how much more alert you’ll feel!
The balance of the two is also important if you’re looking to lose weight. Losing weight isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach and you should tailor the process to suit you. To lose weight or body fat you’ll need be to be in a calorie deficit – this is simply where you’re consuming less calories than your body is burning in a day. There is one thing to remember, however. This doesn’t mean dropping your calories to a dangerously low level, thinking you’ll get faster results. Although the weight might drop off initially, it’s more sustainable to do this over a longer period.
By getting the balance right between exercise and diet, you’ll also be working on building up muscle mass and increasing your strength. Whether your goals are aesthetic or not, if you get the balance correct for you, you’ll end up seeing an improvement in your physique. Not only that, but you’ll find your overall health and fitness levels will improve too! Who doesn’t want to feel fitter and healthier, all while eating a well-rounded diet?
Things to avoid on your health and fitness journey
Although banning them completely means you’re more likely to binge on them later, it’s important to cut out some of the more harmful things from your diet. This doesn’t mean you’re never allowed to enjoy a pizza again; it just might mean making it yourself from scratch at home!
When planning your diet, think about cutting out foods that are high in saturated fats and salt, as well as foods that boast a lot of refined sugars. There are so many great alternatives available either in the supermarket or for you to create yourself.
One might say, healthy food is expensive, but why not work out a monthly budget for your food shop that includes you creating most of your meals from scratch. You may surprise yourself and learn a thing or two in the kitchen! And after you’ve tried some healthy recipes, you’ll stick to those of them that work best for you.
Another recommendation worth mentioning is: don’t eat after 8 PM and try to have small meals five times a day – every three hours. This will keep your blood sugar levels constant and prevent overeating, which is very important if you’re trying to get healthier or lose weight.
If you’re struggling to know where to start, why not reach out to a personal trainer, nutritionist, or someone that specialises in both. They’ll be able to give you the kick start you need as well as an abundance of great advice.