What Exercise and Healthy Food Does to Your Body (1)

Everyone says that it’s important to exercise. Doctors, PE teachers, and celebrities alike all preach the importance of exercising and staying healthy. So why don’t more people do it?

Honestly, society is lazy. People give into temptation and buy that $3 hamburger from McDonald’s. They go out with friends to drink instead of going to the gym. They hit snooze on their alarm or make other excuses to avoid the gym. But then people want results. They want a magical solution that will melt their fat and give them washboard abs, without having to give up their lifestyle. Sadly, we live in the real world. There’s no magic spell or mysterious potion that will change your body. The only thing or person that can give you results is yourself.

If you want a bikini worthy body, you have to work for it. You have to work out at least 3 or 4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. You have to stop giving in to temptation and quick, easy fast food meals. You have to eat clean and work out. I’m not saying go on a diet or restrict all of your food. I’m saying that you should make yourself a better lifestyle. You have to set yourself a routine. Go to bed earlier so you can wake up and workout. Pack a healthy lunch the night before, and plan out your dinners. Choose the eggs over pancakes for breakfast.

You may think that you have a good lifestyle. You eat something like a yogurt parfait for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and chicken for dinner. You work out a few times a week at the gym. However, yogurt parfaits can contain a lot of added sugar. Salad toppings and dressings add many unwanted calories, making a salad no healthier (and less filling) option. Depending on how chicken is prepared, it can lose many of its nutrients and add even more unwanted calories (for example, fried chicken). Your workouts also may not being doing much. 30 minutes on the elliptical on a slow/medium slow speed will not build muscle or burn many calories.

When you look at your lifestyle and assess your diet and exercise habits, you may realize that you need to change some things. Change can be scary. It can be hard to commit to a different lifestyle, especially if nothing really feels wrong (because your body is used to living that way). But once you change your lifestyle, you will feel and look much better.

Once you stop eating “empty calories” (such as simple carbs or liquid meals) and replace those with more fulfilling foods, you will quickly be fuller longer and be less hungry. You will eat more without eating more calories (for example, snacking on carrot sticks is just as fulfilling as snacking on chex mix, but has less calories).

You will begin to be less tired throughout the day, as the foods you eat give you more energy. You will have more mental sharpness and focus throughout the day. As you exercise by doing more than just the same cardio workouts everyday, you will feel yourself getting stronger.

Eventually, you will notice that you look slimmer or more toned, even if you haven’t lost much weight, because you will begin to build muscle. You will fall asleep easier at night and wake up feeling more refreshed. You will have less bloating as your body sheds excess water from processed foods and high sodium intakes.

After a couple months, you will have better skin. You will have less acne and a more glowy appearance. Your metabolism will speed up and become more effective.

After about 6 months, you will have stronger bones and a lower blood pressure. You will have lost a lot of fat and built much more muscle. You will feel much happier and have more energy throughout the day, making you more productive.

After a year, you will have finally set yourself up a healthy lifestyle. You will know what works for you and will set exercise goals for yourself. You will notice that your body looks much better than it did before and that you feel amazing. You will recover from illnesses faster and have more stamina.

As you can see, simple changes to how you live can have huge impacts on your life. By eating healthier and monitoring how you eat, and by varying your workouts, you can change your life. You may even live longer and be happier, and of course, healthier.

Sources:

• “How Running Changes Your Body.” The Active Times, 24 Aug. 2015, www.theactivetimes.com/run-race/road/how-running-changes-your-body.
• “What Happens to Your Body Once You Start to Eat Healthy.” Shapezine — Digital Health & Fitness Tracking Blog, 19 Dec. 2017, shapescale.com/blog/health/nutrition/what-happens-when-you-start-eat-healthy/.