Fitness & Equipment Guides > Fitness Myths: Exercise Is Enough Without Diet

Fitness Myths: Exercise Is Enough Without Diet

9th Aug 19

Fitness myths are plentiful in the fitness world these days. There are more and more of them popping up all the time across multiple areas of fitness too. False weight-loss shortcuts, muscle-building techniques and old wives’ tales are up there with the worst of them. One of the most outstanding, however, is that you can eat what you want as long as you exercise because exercise is more important than your diet.

The general idea behind the concept is that when you are exercising, the positive things that you are doing to your body is resulting in an overall positive change. That means that even if you eat poorly or treat yourself as a reward, it doesn’t matter since you’re putting in all of that hard work into your exercise to turn it back off and be healthy. In reality, that is sadly just not the case.


Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.


The Facts

Your diet has just as much of an impact on your health as your fitness levels do. The two go hand in hand. To say that you can do one without the other is never a good way of doing things. If anything, your diet may even have more of an impact on your health as a whole, but that is dependent on your lifestyle and how you decide to eat.

Why It’s A Myth

Different fitness goals and levels require different things from your diet for them to work effectively. That much we know already. Weight loss requires a balanced diet with lower calories, for example. Weight gain needs a calorie surplus plus the right macronutrients too. The number of calories overall determines things like your weight and muscle mass. You need to work out your total calorie consumption, including the burn from your exercise, to work out how your fitness and diet will affect your weight.

Performance

So other than your weight, your performance, mood and body composition are all affected by your weight. Performance, for example, is carb variable to fit in with your day’s training. It’s all relative, and that needs to be respected if you want the best results. You don’t need to be eating as much on your rest days as on your training days, for example, or even the same kinds of things. Your healthy fats and proteins will help you to recover quickly and develop better toward your goals. Carbs will determine your energy and stamina to an extent, at least.

The Takeaway

Overall, exercise without your diet is not enough! They need to be complementary. If you’re training hard and eating terribly, you still aren’t going to be particularly healthy. Even if you have a better physique as a result of your training, you may still be increasing your body fat percentage. Even deeper than that, you may be putting yourself at risk of multiple health conditions and generally just doing damage to your body as a whole. Health is more than fitness.

For more like this, check out the Exercise.co.uk learn area! 

Or, take a look at this NHS link for more info


Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

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