Eat well and exercise to be healthy

The purpose of exercise is first and foremost to keep healthy and to have a good quality of life. Good eating habits are necessary also for the activities of daily living and to take part in an exercise regime. Eating patterns before and after taking exercise are essential for getting the balance right between the two.

Ideally, it is best to eat a meal one hour before a workout and the amount and type of food you eat depends on the level of exercise you are going to participate in i.e. the more intense the exercise you plan to do, the more you need to eat before it. As you go along with your exercise regime, you will know what, when and how much to eat beforehand .

There are two basic types of exercise-aerobic exercise and resistance exercise.

Aerobic exercise is good for burning calories, keeps the body in shape and maintains flexibility. It is otherwise known as cardio exercise. Examples of aerobic exercise are running and taking part in a sport such as football or tennis.

Resistance training, on the other hand, is for building muscle mass. The most obvious example of resistance exercise is weight-lifting. Many experts suggest that a combination of the two is the best way to exercise but perhaps this is for the serious sportsperson or athlete. For many people, the best type of exercise is what they find enjoyable. Maybe participation in the sport itself is the main objective and getting exercise at the same time is merely a bonus effect.

Eating the right combination of carbohydrates and protein is important no matter what type of exercise you plan to do. The key factors here are that for aerobic exercise, more carbohydrates are needed to sustain energy. In resistance exercise, a higher amount of protein is necessary for muscle repair which the body begins after the workout. Sufficient protein also prevents muscle damage during the workout itself .

Just as it is necessary to eat before you exercise to have the necessary stamina to do it, it is also equally important to eat afterwards to maintain adequate nutrition levels and to replace protein and glycogen levels depleted during the exercise.

Exercise is paramount to a healthy lifestyle alongside good eating patterns. As well as the many physical benefits exercise and healthy eating incur there are also positive implications of exercise in particular in reducing stress as well.