What is more important diet, exercise or lifestyle?
Posted by Brett Sanders | Posted in Diet, Lifestyle, Movement | Posted on 01-07-2009
Tags: Back pain, Diet, Exercise, Fatigue, health, Lifestyle, Weight Loss
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If you are looking to improve your health, lose weight, increase your vitality and minimise and eliminate injuries, then it is common knowledge that diet, exercise and lifestyle are the main, key factors in doing this.
Of course, there are other alternative therapies: acupuncture, aromatherapy, crystal healing, massage, sound therapy and near on a thousand more! But this article is going to focus on the basic fundamental factors of health that are readily modifiable.
However, which one is more important?
I believe that the general public is confused, to say the least, about this subject. I have my own thoughts on the topic but I decided that I would ask out for some other thoughts too. I asked my Facebook friends andTwitter followers the title question: What is more important diet, exercise or lifestyle?
I got a few answers and when you analyse them you realise they all say the same thing:
- “They all go together, hand-in-hand. One can’t truly work without the other two.”
- “Diet first. There’s no point in exercising to burn off bad food. Exercise becomes more beneficial with a healthy diet.”
- “Our thoughts.”
But my personal favourite?
- “Surely lifestyle is diet and exercise? So lifestyle is more important.”
Maybe it was my error in the question I asked but this response is so simple that it makes me embarassed that my original question was so simple.
Lifestyle can be loosely defined as “the habits that make up your daily routine.”
- Your exercise or daily movement habits. Do you exercise regularly, and sensibly with a balanced plan? Do you “move” daily, even just walking? Are you mainly sedentary from day-to-day?
- Your nutritional habits. Do you eat often and take time to eat rather than rushing? Do you know what goes into your food and make wise choices? Do you go out of your way to drink plenty of clean water?
- Your stress levels and daily rhythms. Do you rush around all day without ever savouring the day? Do you stay up late at night watching television because you’ve been at work all day and need some “quiet time”?
These are the three categories that make up your lifestyle and like one response said, “they all go hand-in-hand.”
- When you go into the gym and have a work-out you are actually spending energy and breaking your muscles down in the process. In essence you get weaker in the gym – you can never lift as much, or run as fast when you leave as when you entered can you? So what is needed is to rest and repair in the other 23 hours of your day so that you can grow to be stronger, fitter and healthier.
- Eating is of course essential. Just a few days without food and you will die, so this is infinitely more important than your exercise plan, but what about if you eat great food but you are stressed all day? In order to adequately digest and assimilate all of the nutrients in your food then you need to have balance in your nervous system and this can only be maintained through as little stress in your life as possible.
- Staying calm throughout your day is a great way to be. Especially considering 90% of us are literally running around buzzing on caffeine and stimulants. To find someone who is calm all day every day is a rareity, and of course this person’s digestion and assimilation would be great. However, what if this person did no exercise at all? Eventually they would need some “stress” on their joints, muscles, and bones in order for them to keep adapting to the strains of everyday life.
But why doesn’t the general public know this?
The general public believes in “no pain, no gain.” They believe in cutting calories and essential nutrients out of your diet to lose weight. Unfortunately these two examples, and many many others, have been perpetuated by the Government, the media and many personal trainer’s and fitness instructor’s that don’t think about health. They only think about the bottom line.
I invite the reader who is looking to improve either their health or their body to start by finding balance in their life. Ask yourself, “Am I spending too much time in the gym, and not enough time resting?” “Is my exercise programme futile if I nourish myself with good food afterwards?” “Should I be doing some sort of exercise because although I eat really healthy, I don’t feel fit?”
Rather than focusing on one modality to get your goals, hit it from all angles!
Maybe there’s something I’ve missed out from this list that you find important in reaching your goals? Leave me a note below, I’d love to hear your suggestions.
I love reading your blogs! A nice break from the propaganda out there! It depends on what someone believes a good lifestyle to be. I believe in quality not quantity, one of the reasons I moved back to Australia. I think good exercise and diet, are lifestyle choices. Depending what lifestyle you want, will shape all your other choices. I wanted a lifestyle that was based on quailty. Which is why I moved to Oz and retired from professional dancing, not only am I eating healthier and enjoying exerise more. I am making choices that result in a better quality of life, the people I hang around, my frineds and family, not watching tv but reading books, starting my own business, being surrounded by nature rather than working out in a gym al the time etc etc. So my answer being, Lifestyle is more important. As once you focus on that diet and exerise will fall into place.
Hope you and your family are well! xx
I totally agree Fiona. Of course, it is all relative. What one person defines to be a “balanced” lifestyle, would not be for another person. Some people thrive on rushing and Type A behaviour.
I am glad to hear that you have made the right choice by moving back to Australia. My family and I are fantastic, thanks!
What an excellent way to sum it up so simply! Our lifestyle makes us who we are and everything is a part of that.
I asked an MD friend (bicyclist, vegetarian) what he thought, diet vs exercise, and he says exercise absolutely. Diet is important, but different people have vastly different opinions on what healthy diet is, and many seem to work. A stress-minimizing lifestyle is very important, which usually includes exercise and diet.