Diet & Exercise (The Dynamic Duo): Benefits of Both

Diet

Part 1 of having good health is having a healthy diet. Healthy eating includes consuming high-quality proteins, carbohydrates, heart-healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and water in the foods you take in while minimizing processed foods, saturated fats and alcohol.2 By eating healthy you help your body in a number of ways:

1.)    Overall Health2

• Carbohydrates and fats fuel your body.
• Protein promotes a healthy immune system and rebuilds injured tissues.
• Calcium and phosphorous keep your bones strong and healthy.
• Sodium and potassium help transmit nerve signals throughout the body.
• Vitamins and minerals help support your body’s processes.
• Vitamins A, C and E are antioxidants that protect your cells against toxins
• Vitamin B helps extract energy from the foods you eat.

2.)    Weight Control2

• Quantity of food matters just as much as the quality.

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  Taking in more calories than you burn leads to weight gain.
• Your body converts extra calories into fat tissue.
• Accumulating fat tissue leads to the risk of health problems:
• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Respiratory issues
• Diabetes
• Cancer

3.)    Disease Prevention2

• Obesity is not the only nutrition-based disease.
• Too much/too little of certain nutrients can lead to health issues.
• Lack of calcium can develop osteoporosis, weakening of your bones.
• Too much saturated fats can lead to cardiovascular disease.
• Too few fruits/vegetables can be associated with an increased chance of cancer.

Exercise

Part 2 of having good health is staying regularly active. Exercise leads to immediate and long-term health benefits such as:1

• Increases energy levels
• Improves muscle strength
• Keeps joints, tendons and ligaments flexible which avoids injury. Reduces your risk of joint and lower back pain by keeping joints aligned.
• Aids in balance and coordination

• Helps you maintain a healthy weight
• Improves brain function
• Increases blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain
• Helps reduce the risk of cognitive degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s

• Good for your heart
• Reduces LDL cholesterol that clogs your arteries and increases HDL which is the good cholesterol.
• Reduces blood pressure which lowers stress on the heart.

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  Lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes
• Enhances your immune system
• Reduces your chance of developing osteoarthritis and osteoporosis
• “Use it or lose it”

• Helps reduce the chance of certain cancers
• Sleep better
• Improves mood and gives you an improved sense of well-being
• Helps treat and prevent depression

References:

1The Importance of Exercise. (n.d.).  Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/exercise.html

2Why Is Eating Healthy Important? (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/eating-healthy-important-7166.html