Jogging & Nutrition

Jogging & Nutrition
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The easiest way to lose weight is to exercise regularly and eat healthy, nutritious food. A good way to stay fit is to combine aerobic exercise, such as jogging, with nutrition to create a healthy lifestyle. Combining exercise and a healthy diet can help you control your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and mental outlook.

Jogging and Weight Loss

Jogging is cardiovascular activity that doesn't require a gym membership and can be done on any street that has a sidewalk. Jogging is an aerobic activity -- it increases heart rate, speeds metabolism and burns fat when all other energy reserves have been depleted. It is a good way to lose weight. Because it increases muscle mass in the legs, some people do not see quick results when they step on the scale. But while a scale may not show a significant weight loss right away, remember that jogging is a healthy way to become fit and lose weight the right way -- slowly.

Nutrition

Although it is tempting to try fad or crash diets to lose weight quickly, these diets are usually short-term. Some of them use methods that can be almost impossible to adapt as a lifelong commitment, and when you begin to eat normally again, the weight comes back quickly. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate plan recommends avoiding oversized portions, increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains, switching from whole milk to reduced-fat milk, reducing sodium intake and replacing sugary drinks with water. Each meal should include a small portion from each of the basic food groups -- fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy.

Jogging and Diet

To maximize the benefits of aerobic exercise, it is important to combine activity and diet to create a balanced weight-management program. Eating healthy, frequent meals will increase energy and create stamina for regular aerobic workouts. Increasing your activity level also means an increase in calories burned, so you will likely be hungry more often. To avoid overeating to satisfy your increased hunger, choose healthy low-calorie snacks such as whole-grain crackers, yogurt or fruit.

Jogging and Mental Health

While jogging has many health benefits, one of the most significant is decreased depression, anxiety and stress. Aerobic activity increases endorphins, neurotransmitters in the brain that are responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness. Additionally, by becoming fit and active, you will potentially gain self-esteem and decrease social anxiety.

References

Article reviewed by Amy Richards Last updated on: Aug 18, 2011

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