DIET OR EXERCISE

Before I answer that, think about your meals that you had yesterday. Were they healthy enough to skip your workout today? Before gulping down that extra glass of wine that your friend insisted you to have in a party, do you ever pause and say NO and instead think about a 4 km run in the morning? There are unlimited ways in which society influences human food and fitness behaviour. We get influenced by what we hear instead of combing through options that are best for us. Don't we usually design our weight loss journey depending on what our friends are following?

Based on what we hear that worked for someone else? If a particular diet worked for him then it should work for me, if functional training did magic to his body, it should sculpt my body too. Really? If it was so smooth then we all could use each  other's ways of dealing with life problems and in one snap get what we want. But fortunately we have a gazillion ways to handle everything in life. Health seems to be in vogue these days as everyone talks about it and works out in the gym to get a noticeable body and a sense of pride. But how many of us believe in working out for a simple reason that it feels good, makes you happy and keeps you calm and fit? Being a nutritionist and a health consultant I often get clients with targets like weight loss for an upcoming party/wedding or vacation pictures. These targets can be pressurising and the weight loss experience, even with best results, is more like a pain instead of gain. Is it really worth it? Ask yourself, Are you really eating right ? How do you know that ? How do you know how much calories to reduce every time to maintain a consistent weight loss progress? You workout everyday. But is your workout aligned with your fitness goals? With the help of TV, Internet, magazines we have become jack of all trades, but refuse to hire a master yet. We can splurge on unhealthy lunches and dinners but we think twice before committing to a wellness program for our health. We brush our teeth everyday, take bath, change clothes as it is personal hygiene. But are we doing our exercises so diligently? No right? Because till today health is just external and not personal yet. Every week there is a new diet craze taking everyone by storm. We can be influenced by all the fads but we cannot manipulate our body into believing the same. So the body responds to what is nourishing. A good health is a result of daily physical activity and a well balanced nutrition dense diet. The amount of energy you need to intake in your diet depends upon what your goal is. But remember, there are no shortcuts to long lasting results. The best thing to do is focus on increasing your body metabolism instead of going obsessive standing on that weighing machine after every sip that you intake.

How to Rev up  your metabolism

1) Drink water and lose weight  Yeah! Well if it sounds too simple then may be it is. Water is the most important and usually forgotten nutrient from our life. Yes hydration of body plays a huge role in reviving up metabolism by water induced thermogenic effect.

2)  Be workout friendly Don't worry u don't have to spend an extra hour in the gym for that. Do not overtrain but be prepared to push yourself a little more than yesterday. Kick up your cardio routine and put some muscle behind it with strength training. High intensity interval training has proved to be extremely effective in burning body fat. The number of calories burned are increased when you transit from resting to exercise phase. But you know what the good news is? Your body continues to burn calories even post your exercise, to replenish the oxygen stores in the muscles while you are recovering.

3)  Eat...now eat....then eat....go on ....and finally... eat....  Yes just like how interval workout boosts your metabolism even post working out, interval eating in the right quantity and right food  can amplify your metabolism leading to faster burning of calories, as eating is like an internal workout for your body. Eating a balanced meal followed by a healthy snack every two hours ensures that it constantly leaves your body working in order to digest the food. But it also means that you don't overload calories consumed in the process, because at the end of the the day you cannot trick your body into burning more or less calories by just manipulating meal frequency.

4) Super foods to skyrocket your metabolism Proteins- our body burns more calories to digest protein  hence pushing the body to work a lot more. Foods like nuts, fish, lean meats, eggs, dairy products and lentils are rich in proteins . Green vegetable like beans broccoli, carrot not only raise your metabolism but also rich in vitamins and minerals act as antioxidants in the body. Also some functional foods help a great deal in amping body metabolism. Such foods are nutritionally dense and are required in trace quantity like  almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, cinnamon, hot pepper, chia seeds. A lot of people incorporate healthy habits in their daily life but miss consistency. And then they are bound to be confused about Diet or workout? This has been an ongoing confusion for many of us. Should we go to a nutritionist or join a gym??

So let me tell you, "you can't out-exercise a bad diet" Many people think if they work out in the gym everyday, they can go home and reward themselves with whatever they want to eat or calories don't count on the weekend. It certainly doesn't work like that.  If today you decide to grab a burger and think that you will go to the gym in the evening for your regular workout to compensate, then stop right there! Put that burger down my friend, because you would need to workout at least 90 minutes at good intensity just to create a small deficit of calorie and lot of which also depends on your metabolism. In order to lose weight you should burn more calories than you consume which makes it important to consume good nutrition dense food along with daily exercise. Just like a car needs timely fuelling, your body needs good nutrients at regular intervals. Having said that, an unused car for long, can lead to a dead battery, and so can your body, which makes it imperative to use your body physically to its greatest potential.