There are two main elements of a long and healthy life. They are diet and fitness. This may seem obvious but how many of us consciously eat and exercise with this in mind. Well, you won't be surprised to know that the answer is, not many. Some us may exercise regularly and some of us may eat healthily but sadly very few of us do both.
There are many diet plans today that will help with weight loss but not necessarily combine exercise routines to promote or further your fitness levels.
Undoubtedly, it is possible to lose several pounds or more with dieting alone or to a lesser degree with exercise only. One thing you should bear in mind is that you can still carry a few extra pounds and be physically fit. But, in general it is far more likely that those of us carrying those extra pounds are less fit as a result.
You have no doubt heard the term "we are what we eat". There's a certain truth to this, but what would make more sense when speaking of dieting and fitness is "we are what we do". Certainly diet and exercise can be included in this context.
Consuming large quantities of food with high fat but little protein content will do very little if you want to build extra muscle or look after what you already have. Unless you are prepared to accept that, you may as well throw out those weights your partner bought for your birthday.
With dieting and fitness, better results can be achieved when they are done in combination. A regular exercise plan can help burn off the extra fat and excess calories. While eating the correct foods on a good diet plan helps to provide your body with the fuel and nutrients required to build muscle.
A pound of bricks weighs exactly the same as a pound of feathers. Likewise, a pound of fat weighs exactly the same as a pound of muscle. However, there can be a big difference in the size of that pound. When the number of pounds increase, size can increase dramatically and therein lies part of the answer.
When dieting and regular exercise are done together, the weight loss may be less apparent than size loss. You should always keep this in mind when checking your progress. A measuring tape should be used and considered just as important a tool as the set of weighing scales you possess. You do have scales? Perhaps an unwanted gift from a friend? Or maybe you have hidden them? Whatever the case, get them out and use them on a regular basis.
Don't be disappointed if you don't always seem to be losing weight when you step on the scales. This is quite natural and to be expected, especially if you are building muscle. Scales should never be used as the sole measurement of your progress since this will prove to be misleading and could quite possibly put you off dieting and fitness completely.
Remember that you will be fitter and slimmer not by losing weight as the result of a diet alone but by using a proper combination of a good diet plan and regular exercise routines.
Bryan Quinn is webmaster of several information sites including Diet For Weight Loss which is an excellent resource for dieting for weight loss.
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