Healthy Diet + Physical Activity = Healthy Weight

In my previous blogs, I have been focusing on diet as a way to achieve a healthy life. One part that I didn't touch upon, which also has a significant impact on the health of an individual is physical activity. As a result, in this blog, I will be emphasizing on the importance of developing and maintaining a healthy body weight through daily physical activities and through a healthy diet.

Over the past 25 years, obesity has been a pandemic of a problem in the developing worlds. It is currently increasing in severity as childrens and youths are starting to develop obesity. Additionally, obesity is on its path to overtake smoking as the number one killer in North America. Tons of diseases and illnesses are linked to obesity including hypertension, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroker, urological diseases and more.

So how does a healthy diet and physical activity maintain and promote a healthy weight? Simply put, healthy diets provide the sufficient energy required to perform physical activity. Without the essential nutrients in our diets, our body would perform poorly or not perform at all. For example, there are 9 essential amino acids which we must obtain from a protein source, whether that be from red meat, beans, or nuts, we need to consume these in order for our body to function properly. (Dill, 2011)

When we look at diet and physical activity, we should perceive it as an equilibrium, where diet is an intake of energy while physical activity is the output of energy. (Dill, 2011) If we intake more energy (eat more) than we expend energy (exercise), we will end up with excess energy leading to weight gain. This is a pretty straightforward concept. Looking at diet, one can either slow down or increase the process of weight gain through what we consume on a daily basis. For example, eating fiber can help lower LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) oxidation which can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. (Insel et al.,2011) Similarly, physical activity can also increase the process of weight gain faster or slower through the duration of physical activity. It should be noted that the Canadian guideline recommends at least 2.5 hours per week for adults ages 18-64.

Overall, the health benefits of having a healthy diet and physical activity will overlap with one another. For instance, decrease risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, CVD, diabetes, etc. In conclusion, you should invest in yourself through healthy eating habits and physical activity levels to maintain and promote a healthy weight throughout the rest of your lives.

References:

Dill, R. (2011). Human nutrition: human issues. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.

Insel, P., Ross, D., McMahon, K., & Bernstein, M. (2011). Nutrition. United States of America: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC.