Stop Fighting: Commonalities of Diet and Exercise

This is really great, and refreshingly straightforward advice -- thanks Mike! I like the idea of finding the common sense approach by taking the aspects of healthy eating/exercise that most people agree on.

Ali

This is wonderfully sensible advice, especially in light of the relentless promotion of fad diets, phony health claims, and exercise products that prey on people rightfully concerned about their health. It really is pretty simple, eat a healthy balanced diet and keep physically active. The fresh produce, whole grains, nuts, beans, fish and lean meats you most enjoy should be your dietary staples. Drink water. Highly processed foods and soft drinks are unhealthy. Pick a physical activity you'll enjoy so that you will want to stick to it.

Too bad there's no money in telling people to eat a little less, stick with healthy whole foods, and exercise a bit every day. I'd make money, and people would lose weight!

But as it turns out, very few people actually want to hear such advice.

One thing most people seem to agree on is that walking as much as possible is good for you.

Most valuable is:

GOYA ASMA - Get Off Your "Butt" And Start Moving Around!

I do have to say, nothing bugs me more than someone with the 'exercise is all that matters' perspective.

Once in a while you'll get someone claiming "you can eat whatever you want as long as you exercise. I once ate five gallons of ice cream per day followed by walking a quarter mile and lost 20 pounds."

It drives me nuts.

I agree that nutrition is overlooked when most studies say that how much you eat is 80% of the determining factor in body size. Just telling someone to exercise doesn't address the fact that they are putting 1500 McDonald's value meals in their stomach. Honestly, if a person just ordered a regular cheeseburger, an apple pie (less fat), and a drink, they could skip the hour on the treadmill and have a good day. Moving around is important, but it is more important to move around all day, not just when a person gets to the gym or as I call it, den of medieval torture. I think instead of looking at diets we should look at people who are living healthy and happy and are normal. Not just what trainers who coerce million dollar hollywoods starlets to lose 10 lbs to look perfect on screen. If I had an incentive of 6 million dollars, a trainer, a chef who delivers meals, and paparazzi who write that I am pregnant once if I wear size 6 jeans, I would look amazing too.

Walking doesn't burn all that many calories but it helps keep your legs strong and fit. Walking and light weight training have taking over halfway to my goal. Plus it's easy on my joints.

Great advice! I love exercise as well, so I try to eat to fuel my workouts...and that includes lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, and nuts and olive oil. I know that not everyone can (or wants to) work out as much as I do and thats why you just have to eat according to your activity levels. I'm guessing most sedentary people can squeeze a bit more activity into their day and can cut a few hundred calories per day fairly painlessly...it's not that difficult!

Really great article, but I have a question - if you keep posting complete common sense like this, what will we argue about??

I too hate the gym, but I have nothing against exercise. I would rather walk, ride a bike, swim, play badminton or squash or ski with my kids -- just about anything rather than be in that atmosphere. The time goes by sooooo slowly in there for me. I will stick a exercise dvd in the tv or use the treadmill at home before I go near a gym, even though I belong to a club that includes one.

physical exercise is indeed key. i've been hitting the gym 3x a week for pretty intense cardio and weight training for the past 3 years. during the latter part of last year, i started taking the stairs to my 8th-floor apartment on days i did not go to the gym. sometimes i'd be carrying a 20-lb load of books and my laptop. i did not alter my eating habits (my diet is pretty healthy and portion-controlled as it is) and i've lost 5 lbs since starting my stair regimen. it works! even walking DOWN stairs is better than standing around waiting for an elevator.

I am with you! Getting healthy should not be an event but rather a lifestyle. It is a shame that it has become so complicated but eating right and exercising should be kept simple...day by day doing the best we can.

When I worked in a phone room I fidgeted furiously all shift, then usually walked home.

Hey Ryan,

What's your VO2max?

Diets do agree on veggies like greens, asparagus, radish, fruits like berries, avocado, tomato, summer squash, etc. They do not agree on beans and whole grains or all fruits, even. Not everyone can tolerate them. Whole grains make me just as fat as white bread and hungry all the time. Ditch the beans, grains, and high sugar fruits and the weight falls off even eating 3 eggs for breakfast, or maybe especially eating 3 eggs for breakfast.

is it possible to eat too much fruit? i sometimes eat fruit as meal replacements as well as snacks. some days i consume as much as 1 banana, 1 pear, 1 apple, 20 grapes, and half a cantaloupe. this is in addition to my daily intake of some oatmeal, brown rice, 1 or 2 low-cal granola bars, assorted vegetables, and some lean protein like chicken/turkey breast. i know fruits are supposed to be good for you but at the same time they count as carbs/sugars. any thoughts?

If walking can help, will dancing to rap music not be better?

GOYA ASMA - Get Off Your "Butt" And Start Moving Around! I like it!! Simple and very very true. It really is as simple as start moving and get a balanced diet that meets all your food groups with the correct serving sizes.

i am on a low gadule cal diet learning to eat then slowly lower the cal plus extersising is great. the main thing is to eat right and extercise