Diet and Exercise Can Help Loose Weight - Essay Example

Similarities and Differences of Diet and Exercise Full Dieting and exercising are among the most discussed issues today not only for aesthetic reasons but more importantly, the health benefits which are deemed important at a time when the battle of man is not with slings and swords but with diseases. More and more people are getting hooked to watching their health status so that issues of the benefits of diet and exercise are a common discourse with experts talking about one thing over the other.

Putting diet and exercise in juxtaposition though, can help a person see more clearly why one should watch his diet or exercise regimens and not debate on which is better. Rather, the issue should be more on what benefits one can get when dieting or exercising or when practicing both. Studies show that exercise can help a person control his weight as well as dieting does. When exercise alone is practiced without watching one’s diet, prolonged physical activity is needed in order to burn the fat taken along with food consumption if weight management is desired.

On the other hand, watching one’s diet without exercise can also help reduce or maintain weight depending on the person’s objective. It is a known fact that fruits and vegetables are a great help to one who wants to maintain his weight so that increased intake of such would be most beneficial especially in getting the fiber which is most needed in keeping one’s system clean. In addition, exercise and diet help reduce the risks of certain chronic diseases like cancer and heart attack. Regular exercise boosts high density lipoprotein otherwise known as good cholesterol and reduces triglycerides, allowing a smooth blood flow with the lowered build up of plaques in the arteries (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2010).

Diet with greater bulks on fruits and vegetables on the other hand provides vitamins and minerals that help in the increased breakdown of food in the body which results to a similar effect like that of exercise. If exercise increases energy, so does diet. Physical activity helps oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the body tissues making the body as a whole stronger and healthier. Dieting provides the needed nutrients to keep the body strong and increase energy as well as the essential vitamins and minerals that help in the regulation of blood flow eventually resulting to a healthy body that could keep up to the demands of whatever the energy is needed for.

Mental focus is also increased with exercise, keeping the brain sharp as well as reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and senility (Brotherston, n.d.). Fish, berries, turmeric, hazelnuts and ginger (Kraft, 2010) are among the foods known to help increase memory efficiency so that getting a higher intake of the aforementioned could help as much as exercise does in keeping one’s mind sharp. It is also known that exercise improves digestion which is beneficial in weight loss. Increased fiber intake gives a similar effect to the digestive system, ‘cleaning’ the body of the toxins that could endanger one’s health.

As mentioned earlier, one’s objective should not be to choose a better regimen over another when it comes to considering exercise and diet but checking on the benefits that one wants to achieve. Exercise could work in maintaining one’s weight without diet and vice versa however, considering embracing them both could give a strengthened advantage for a person’s health and aesthetic benefits. It would be like taking two strong posts for a house instead of just one. Probably the greatest challenge for a person looking out for his health status would be discipline in maintaining a healthy diet and sticking to the exercise no matter how time consuming and painful things could be.

Facing the challenge, one should focus on the benefits which always are long term or better yet get scared with what could be should diet and exercise are taken for granted. Reference Brotherston, Cindy. n.d. Exercise Benefits: Learn Just Some of the Many Benefits of a Fitness and Nutrition Plan. Inspiration Personal Training: Advice on Fitness, Nutrition, Weight Loss and Much More. Retrieved from http://www.busywomensfitness.com/exercisebenefits.html Kraft, Sheryl. 2010. Foods That Keep Your Memory Sharp.

Endless Beauty: A Fresh Look at Beauty. Retrieved from http://endlessbeauty.com/articles/foods-keep-your-memory-sharp Mayo Clinic Staff. 2009. Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity. Fitness Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676