BLOG 304 OUT EXERCISING
If only we could out exercise a bad diet. If only it were that easy. No one will argue that it’s easy to put on the LBs, but not so easy to take them off. Why is that?? You can’t out exercise the calories, fat, sugar, and carbohydrates that accumulate in excess. The good old days of being 16 and eating whatever your heart desired and still be thin, just don’t exist anymore. Think about that cheeseburger, shake, and fries, and how much it truly takes to counteract their damage.
So you might what to think again about how many calories you are taking in versus what you are burning. This also might influence your exercise choices.
If you aren’t gearing up for a 100 mile bike ride or Ironman, that super high carbohydrate pasta dinner with a few rolls, isn’t necessary. Jogging a couple miles the next morning won’t undo the intake. On the other hand, dessert last night isn’t going to fuel a quality workout the next day. High fat and high sugar foods aren’t going to equip you for the endurance and energy to have a quality workout to burn them off. Just a few moments on those lips, leads to more fat around the waist and hips. Pizza won’t make those problem areas disappear. The beers don’t add up to a six pack on the belly. That sluggish feeling doesn’t stir up motivation either. In fact, most might agree that when they eat healthy, they feel better, and actually want to workout. Hmmmm, there’s something to this FIT Lifestyle.
Most people underestimate how much they are really eating. Let’s say you at a McDonald’s Bic Mac, Large Fries, and Large Coke = 1330 calories. That would require 6 hours of strength training, or 2.5 hours of running, or 4 hours of walking. That is a major setback. Even if you goal is general fitness to maintain and be able to eat what you want, this e equalizer method doesn’t quite pan out. It’s not just the one bad meal. It can be the accumulation. The nightly glass of wine, the eating out twice per week, the creamer in the coffee…. it adds up and then by the end of the month the caloric totals reflect what has happened on the scale. If one glass of wine has about 110 calories then that takes about 30 minutes of walking to burn off (just that one glass). Being strict is not what I’m promoting, rather, being honest with yourself is the key if you have set numerically driven data goals. You don’t have to bring your egg whites like me, but you do have to tell yourself that your choices directly reflect your results.
The good old metabolism mechanism can only do so much. Healthy choices are critical on your fitness journey and each one counts. Enjoying the foods you like every now and then, really does have to stay to as infrequently as possible. Don’t make too many exceptions to the rules, because your goals and YOU are worth feeling, looking, and operating at their best.