As the old saying goes, "you are what you eat." This doesn't mean that you are about to turn into a hamburger and fries, but it does mean that what you put into your body becomes a part of you. Although there are extreme diets out there such as Atkins or other ketogenic diets that advocate eating fat and protein at the expense of carbohydrates, a balanced diet that includes lean protein and carbohydrates should be your goal.
Function
Exercise is important for everyday health. The government's Weight-control Information Network recommends that the average adult should engage in moderate exercise at least 150 minutes a week, or vigorous exercise at least 75 minutes per week to maintain health, prevent chronic illnesses and maintain weight. However, it also points out that some adults will need at least twice amount of exercise to maintain their weight depending on their size. If you have recently lost a lot of weight, you will need to keep up your routine to maintain your new weight.
Features
Exercise burns calories, which are fuel for your body. Calories are consumed in the form of food, which is processed in the stomach to produce energy that is stored in your muscles as glycogen. If your body takes in too much food, the excess calories are either excreted or converted to fat. Simple carbohydrates that are calorie-dense and easy to process, such as sugar, candy, white bread and potatoes, are especially easy to store as fat.
Fuel
What you eat is used to fuel your exercise, but also to repair and renew your body after everyday exertions. Your body needs a wide variety of nutrients, from vitamins and minerals to proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Your body is like a sports car; it runs better on better fuel. The nutrients you need can be found in a balanced and varied diet, although your doctor may recommend certain vitamin supplements to ensure you get the recommended daily amounts.
Fat
There are some exceptions to the balanced diet, such as the low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins or Zone diets, otherwise known as ketogenic diets. These are designed to burn off fat by denying the body carbohydrates that it needs to fuel itself, forcing the body to burn other reserves. According to an article on the Vanderbilt University Health Psychology site, benefits supposedly include a loss of body weight generally through decreased body fat while also regulating insulin and triglyceride levels.
Further Information
Both nutrition and exercise are important for everyday health. They also support each other: Poor nutrition will impact sports performance, which is why many sports teams and professional athletes have nutritionists and strict diets. According to Donald Hensrud, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic, and an article in the "Guardian" newspaper, exercise has a negligible effect on weight loss compared to dieting. However, exercise is important in any weight loss program, as it will improve the quality of your health and will result in greater body tone and fat loss than would be achieved purely through dieting.
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