Healthier options for a better living – a comparative study of diet and exercise plans.

All our life from childhood through adult, we have agreed that Health is Wealth and have read number of quotes about the importance of health. We cannot emphasize the benefits of good health nor ignore the consequences of associated disorders. However, it is the single overlooked factor as reported in the WHO fact sheet 2016. A staggering 1.9 billion adults worldwide are overweight and 60 million are obese. Women represent a 40% of this population and are at risk too.  So the need of the hour is to plan for a healthy lifestyles and the two words which immediately spring up are Exercise and Diet. This article does not refute either of them, but highlights the salient features by comparison of benefits and contrast of implementation.

Before discussing the approaches in detail, it is important to be aware of our Energy Balance, BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate),  Age, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, Family and individual Health History.An energy balance is analogous to a see-saw with energy in and energy out on either sides. If both are equal, a balance is achieved and weight remains stable. An increase in weight occurs when the intake is higher than spending and vice versa. BMR is essential to sustain the basic body functions  and varies with each individual, based on age, activity, gender etc. Numerous publications by British Nutrition Foundation, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization have discussed the individual factors in great detail and provide a wealth of information.

Healthy eating for a healthy living.

A balanced diet comprises of five food groups – Cereals, Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy and Oils. The proportion can be determined individually in www.supertracker.usda.gov..  Based on your age, gender, height, weight, physical activity level and fitness goals, it prepares sample meal plans that are realistic and attainable. It is simple and free and only requires you to create a profile to monitor your plan.  Diet and nutrition are invaluable in attaining the desired weight. In addition, healthy eating also offers other advantages such as boosting immunity, prevention of particular non communicable diseases such obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, opportunity to appreciate food from different cultures and emotional well-being. This approach may be adopted by everyone easily. However expectant mothers, infants, people with dietary restrictions need medical advice before implementing.

Physical activity and the benefits offered

Physical activity can be classified according to the intensity as moderate and vigorous.  Moderate exercises include walking, cycling at slow speed,  water aerobics etc. A minimum of 150 minutes per week is recommended for reducing weight and reaping other benefits. It may be combined with vigorous intensity exercise (running,  dance aerobics,  swimming laps etc. ) A minute of vigorous intensity exercise is equivalent to two minutes of moderate intensity exercise.

Exercises too offer a multitude of benefits such as maintaining healthy weight, reducing risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases,  depression,  dementia, colon cancer,  joint pain etc. In addition,  exercise improves and regulates sleep,  optimizes calories consumption,  enriches social life,  reduces stress and increases the quality of life.

Both diet and exercise contribute to a healthy lifestyle and need systematic planning and commitment to goals.  The choice of implementing these methods depends on the individual health factors and personal motivation.