The Myth Of Exercise vs Diet

Often, people think that a couple of sessions per week at the gym or walking the dog on weekends, is enough to keep illness at bay. And theoretically, it should be, because - and this is where you may be in for a surprise - health is first and foremost about what you put in your body, not what you do with it.

You exercise daily, right? You are trim and lean and are sculpted like Adonis. You have energy and drive and you rush around getting everything done. You turn heads wherever you go, not least for the six pack you wield but also because of your ability to get things done. And then out of the blue, a pain in your chest crushes you like the Hulk squeezing a sponge. You listen incredulously while your doctor explains that you now need statins and heart medication, bewildered by the concept that you are no longer in control of your body.

How? Why??

And then a holistic nutritionist tells you that the 12 raw eggs you knocked back daily, the mountains of meat you ate, the dairy based supplements you took and the stimulants you popped, have triggered a surge in your cholesterol, an increase in the plaque buildup in your arteries, and stress on your liver. It really didn't matter that you were at the gym every day; it was the food you were eating that brought you to this.

It's a complete myth that if we exercise daily, we can eat pretty much whatever we like. Sooner or later, things are going to get a bit skewed and your body will let you know that it's not coping. You do not have to go to the gym if you are eating the right fuel. And just because you go to the gym, does not make you a healthy person.

Physical inactivity is a major public health problem, but it has become more so because we are eating more junk. That 30 minutes of exercise per day regime your doc wants you on? You would have to increase it to 90 minutes to get any benefit from it, if you are consuming meat and dairy and processed products. And even then, illness is going to come knocking sooner or later.

So take a good look at your activity versus what you put on your plate, and make the right decisions for your body.