Feel Better!
We don’t have to tell you weight loss isn’t easy. But there is a way to supercharge your results and put yourself on a faster track. By combining a healthy diet with the right types of exercise you can see results sooner and feel so much better than you do now.
The better you feel (and look), the more likely you are to stick with your new lifestyle change and put the worry of yo-yo dieting behind you.
Eating fewer calories will help you lose weight. Exercise will help you burn calories and build muscle.
By combining the two you’ll be training your body to take advantage of the healthy food you’re feeding it and reap tons of benefits on top of the weight loss.
The Impact of Your Diet
The word “diet” can come with all sorts of bad associations, bad memories, and bad mojo. Instead of associating “diet” with depriving yourself of foods you really want, think of it as simply a roll call of the foods you put in your mouth.
So what are the benefits of a healthy diet?
You’ll Experience Better Moods
The foods you put in your body essentially define the types and quantities of chemicals in your bloodstream. When you eat healthier foods, your body and mind will have access to chemicals that do things like increase your energy levels, improve your health, and even boost your mood.
By eating complex carbohydrates, iron-rich foods, and Omega-3 fatty acids, you’ll naturally boost the levels of the “feel good” chemical serotonin in your body. Serotonin is a chemical that bonds with certain receptors in your brain and improves your mood. In fact, many prescription antidepressants work by artificially adjusting the levels of serotonin in your body.
You’re Digestion Will Run Like Clockwork
Hate that sluggish feeling that weighs you down after a heavy meal? Your body has to work so much harder to handle processed foods and fats. Your digestive system literally slows down, which can lead to bloating, constipation, and discomfort.
On the other hand, a healthy diet loaded with fiber and regular hydration keep your digestion running smoothly. This leads to regularity, which in turn eliminates that weighed-down sluggishness that can ruin your day. There’s also evidence that a high fiber diet can help lower your risk of heart and certain gastro-intestinal disease.
You’ll Boost Your Immune System
Essential vitamins and minerals are often easier for your body to absorb from food than a pill. These nutrients form the building blocks of your immune system.
We all know the benefits of Vitamin C (found in fresh fruits and veggies). But, did you know that your immune system also relies on Vitamins A, B, D, and E? And, according to a Harvard Medical study, minerals like Zinc, Copper, Iron, and Selenium also act as natural immune boosters.
The Benefits of Regular Exercise
You know what they say about bodies at rest, right? The human animal is made to move. When we lead sedentary lives the body adapts to that lower level of exertion.
The Centers for Disease Control recommend that all adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walks, per week. You can cut that figure to 75 minutes if you ramp up the intensity and include some muscle-building exercise.
But what does all that work get you?
Even More Happiness!
Exercise triggers your body to release chemicals that improve your mood and decrease stress, including: Endorphins (natural pain killers), adrenaline (an energy booster), serotonin (the “feel good” chemical), and dopamine. What’s more, when you exercise regularly your body learns to produce some of those chemicals even while you are at rest.
Better Sleep Patterns
Exercise burns through your energy reserves and breaks down muscle tissue so your body can rebuild it bigger, better, and stronger. This process usually takes place when you’re asleep.
Research at Northwestern University proved that when you exercise regularly, you’ll fall asleep when you should and sleep without waking. What’s more, you’ll actually wake feeling more rested than before you began your new regimen.
You’ll Feel Better
Exercise, combined with the correct diet, can build muscle, improve bone density, decrease cholesterol and, of course, help you lose weight. All of these factors will dramatically affect how you feel. You will:
- Have fewer aches and pains
- Have more energy when you need it
- Be able to work and play longer with less soreness
- Have more mental clarity
Plus You’ll Look Great
We’ve all seen people who have shed pounds, and are at what society considers a “normal” weight, but haven’t built any muscle. As a result, they don’t look as fit, as slim, as toned as they want to. This can be discouraging because while they’ve reached their goal weight, they don’t have the body they want.
On the other hand, people who add exercise to a healthy diet will tone muscle structures, tighten skin, and literally sculpt their bodies so they look healthier and slimmer. This new body image can have a tremendous impact on a person’s overall happiness.
Don’t Just Lose Weight–Improve Your Life!
Weight is really just a number. Who wants to shed pounds just to hit a target on a scale? We want to look better, feel better, and live life more fully. Changing your diet is great (and you will see results), but adding exercise will put that weight loss process on the fast track and can change your life for the better.