How Does Nutrition Affect One’s Physical Fitness?

The current obesity statistics have caused many people to reevaluate their diets and get into shape. While there are recommendations to eat this and that and avoid this, how important is eating a well-balanced diet when it comes to working out?

Whether trying to get in shape or just trying to maintain a great figure, the nutritional side of things plays a bigger part in the overall health picture than what most people think.

Food For Fuel

When a person wants to go on a road trip, they put gas in the car. Without putting fuel into the car, the car will not run and will leave the individual stranded. The same concept applies to the human body. The body needs fuel to be able to keep going. From the time a person gets up in the morning until they go to bed at night, it is a long and exhausting day.

Without the proper fuel throughout the course of the day, the body will be sluggish and not able to perform as it should. To be able to get through the day and a workout, the body needs a proper balance of good nutrition. So what things give the body the fuel it needs?

• A Healthy Breakfast- A Good Way To Kick Start The Day
• Adequate Balance Of Protein, Fruits, and Vegetables
• Avoid Sugar and Complex Carbohydrates
• Opt For Water Instead of Sodas and Juices
• Pack Healthy Snacks, Like Almonds, To Reduce Binge Eating
• Pre-Plan Meals and Calorie Content

What Foods Give The Body Fuel

Everybody knows there are certain foods that give the body energy and others that will slow it down. To give the body a boost, try things that are loaded with sugars, but rather packed with protein. Here are some great foods that will give the body the extra zing it needs to make it through the day.

• Eggs-Hard Boiled
• Bananas-Loaded with Magnesium and Potassium
• Oatmeal
• Whole Grain Pastas and Rice
• Peanut Butter
• Greens-Lettuce, Spinach, Cabbage, Green Beans
• Yogurt

Incorporating a few of these items into a meal plan, it will help the body to have the energy it needs to make it through the day. Foods that are high in protein also help turn that unwanted fat into muscle. Protein can help drop inches off the body and will assist anyone who starts an exercise program.

You Are What You Eat

Most people have heard the popular phrase, you are what you eat. If a person is training for a big run, they would not fill up on donuts and soda before the big day. Rather, they would choose foods that would allow them the endurance they need to make it through the entire race. Carbohydrates actually slow the body down and make a person want to nap. Foods packed with protein can speed up the body’s internal mechanisms and allow the endurance needed to finish the race.

Eating a well-balanced diet has everything to do with the overall fitness of a body. It’s not really about counting calories and losing weight for everyone, it is about maintaining a consistent diet of healthy foods and an overall active lifestyle.

Those who eat right will have the ability to do vigorous workouts and not run out of steam halfway through. Eating right is really easy when a person finds the foods that taste good and are good for them.

Also Read: Inspiring Working Women to Fitness