Fitness | |
Having a daily exercise routine is essential for a healthy body and mind. Exercise can increase your endorphins and give you an elated and energized feeling. Endorphins are your body's natural painkillers and stress reducers. Physical fitness has been proven to decrease your risk for many types of cancers and diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Daily exercise can increase your energy level, build muscle, and increase your metabolism. With daily physical fitness, the effects are endless and can last a lifetime. Exercise reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. The chemicals that are released during exercise include hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. These hormones can increase vitality and give you a sense of overall well-being throughout your body. Barring injury, there are no negatives to physical fitness; it can only bring a lifetime of happiness and health. While eating for fitness might seem easy, there are adjustments you should make to your diet to compensate for the extra energy expended while exercising. If you can tolerate a small amount of food in your stomach before exercise, you should eat a small amount, usually one serving, of a carbohydrate. Examples of carbohydrates to consume before exercising could be one slice of whole-wheat bread, a few whole-grain crackers, or a small piece of fruit or glass of juice. The carbohydrate will give you immediate energy, ensuring that you will have a more productive workout. Many people mistakenly believe they will “burn more fat” if they work out on an empty stomach. While a few individuals can have a productive workout without having any carbohydrate to draw from, the majority of us need the energy that carbohydrates provide to propel us through our workouts. In fact, by consuming just a little carbohydrate before their workout, most people end up having a more intense workout than if they would have tried to perform on an empty stomach. Post-workout eating is a more complex task. Many strategies exist for the proper amount of carbohydrate, protein, and fat to consume after various exercises. Dr. Adams can help you create an effective pre- and post-workout eating program that will provide all the energy and nutrients to guarantee productive workouts and decreased recovery times between workouts. When it comes to exercise, you should workout smarter, not harder, and effective performance nutrition is a vital part of this process.
References Herbert, Victor, M.D., J.D., Subak-Sharpe, Genell J., M.S., and Kasdan, Tracy Stopler, M.S., R.D., eds. Total Nutrition . New York : St. Martins Press, 1995. |
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