As a nutritionist I often hear people say, “I will do some extra cardio so I can have some ice cream.”  I advise against this practice because our health does not work this way.  The truth is closer to this analogy.  Lets say you have a building and you set it on fire.  Then you say I can set a little fire and just do some extra construction.  Theoretically this could work, but when you do it often enough the amount of work to rebuild can take more resources than are availble.  When we eat foods that take more energy to digest and process than they give in return adding the stress of exercise to that can actually make the body work harder.  Another way of looking at this is taking the concept of a common poison, Alcohol.  If you drank vodka and tried to exercise it off, now the heart has to deal with the stress of exercise while the liver is trying to handle the poison.  A recent study shows these concepts more scientifically, and you can read more about that study here. 

The title is You can’t exercise your way out of an unhealthy diet. The bottom line of this study is as follows:

1. “ New research finds you can’t outrun the effect of a poor diet by simply exercising more. 
2. Regular physical activity and good dietary habits go hand in hand when it comes to your long-term health and longevity.
3. Physical activity and diet also play a major role in the prevention of many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and cardiovascular diseases."

At Better Body Clinical Nutrition one of the ways we help improve overall health is by helping people find this balance for thier lifestyle.  

Click on the subscribe button below to sign up for our monthly newsletter.