The Friendly Health Advice You Should Never Take

Chioma Ukpai
ILLUMINATION’S MIRROR
2 min readFeb 3, 2024
📸: istock

Refrain from giving attention to anyone who tells you to focus on exercise over diet for weight loss.

This article will provide you with more knowledge about the benefits of exercise and diet and which you should pay more attention to.

Although the benefits of one don't outweigh the other, it would be wrong not to highlight some of them.

Benefits of Exercise

Exercise is one of the cornerstones of anyone's weight loss journey. Engaging in any physical activity increases your body's metabolic rate, which helps you burn calories. Exercise can also help manage hunger by regulating your hunger hormones. This may help prevent overeating and excess snacking.

You don't need to be involved in a rigorous schedule. A daily habit of moderate exercising will do the trick. Performing aerobic activities is one of the best workouts to lose weight—aerobic exercises like walking, cycling, jogging, etc.

Excessive exercise may increase appetite as well as injury risk, so in all things MODERATION.

Benefits of diet

The 80/20 rule states that weight loss is the result of 80% diet and 20% exercise.

At some point, you have heard the popular saying, "You are what you eat." Unhealthy eating habits are one of the major ways of gaining weight; losing that weight is doing the opposite but in a healthier manner.

It is easier to cut down on calories by adding or taking out specific food from your diet than exercising because exercise demands time and consistency and saps energy; it also can be discouraging if, after rigorous routines, you don't hit your goal.

Combining diet and exercise

Which is said to be better?

Review showed that combining the two led to over 5x more lost weight compared with exercise alone.

An easy way to manage calorie intake and promote weight loss without counting calories is to focus on eating whole, minimally processed foods high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats.

Neither is mutually exclusive. Backup exercise with a healthy diet; otherwise, you will feel weak, your muscles will not recover, and even your immunity will bear the brunt.

Focus on making positive changes to your diet and exercise routine that works for you.

Conclusion

Putting more importance on one over the other is difficult, but the answer lies in balance. Both are important for weight loss, and combining the two will optimize results.

Be reminded that commitment is an integral requirement to achieve weight loss.

If you've found these health insights valuable, show me some love with a round of claps and leave my comments! And if you're eager for more tips on living a healthier life (because who isn't?), hit that follow button for a journey towards a fitter, happier you.

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Chioma Ukpai
ILLUMINATION’S MIRROR

The Lazy Writer Writes ||Student||Health Writer||Building my passion.