Interesting story: a recent study found that it’s far better to be fit and overweight than to be simply thin.

The study found that women who didn’t do any exercise – including the slim ones – were far more at risk for heart attacks, while women with some extra pounds but a generally fit body (thanks to some exercise) were less at risk.

Sounds pretty straightforward then: exercise is important!!

But wait, here comes another study. It turns out those same women who exercise – but are still overweight or obese – are up to nine times as likely to develop diabetes as women of normal weight.

So if you’re overweight but ‘fit’ = you’re at higher risk for diabetes, no matter how much you exercise. If you’re slim but not ‘fit’ = you’re at rish for a heart attack, no matter how much you diet.

WHY DIET & EXERICSE CAN’T BE ‘ONE OR THE OTHER’.

Small amounts of calorie cutting here and there (let’s say 400 calories of excessive food per day) can make a big difference, while a commitment to burn 400 calories a day can be much harder to pull off.

But this is missing the larger point, which is that there is no clear equivalency between ‘cutting 400 calories out of my diet and burning 400 calories through exercise’.

While studies have shown that cutting out fatty foods will help you lose some weight, while plain exercise sometimes won’t, especially for women who ignore their diet entirely, it’s still a mistake to see the two areas as mutually exclusive.

Never forget that burning 400 calories through good, balanced exercise – like a great mix of lifting weights and intensive cardio – contains benefits that go far beyond just those 400 calories burned.

Treat your body as a system that needs good, healthy attention from all angles, not sure crash diets or burn out marathons, but gradual, sustained, and long term attention to eating well and being active, at the same time.

There is no magic ration between diet and exercise, and study after study continue to prove that you can’t reap the benefits of one without suffering the negatives of another. Realize that changing your body is something you need to do responsibly. There is no ‘choice’ between diet or exercise.

To be heathly, you can’t have one without the other. BUT there’s one BIG advantage: tackling both at once is completely complimentary – the better you eat, the more you’ll want to work out, and the better you work out, the better you’ll want to eat!!

-Suzana

Eating every 3 1/2 – 4 hours has an abundance of benefits for the body. It helps keep the metabolism high and the body satiated. It also helps promote high levels of energy and avoids crashes. Finally, it will naturally help you moderate the amount you eat because it is harder to overindulge that often. So choose a healthy snack and have it in between your main meals.

1. Get real and be specific. Write down three or four realistic goals that you can stick to. For example, “I will try to lose one pound of body fat every week. I will walk for 30 minutes minimum five days a week.” Avoid fantasy-land goals that will only frustrate you.

2. Get prepared. Throw away all the junk, the processed, and the “bingeable” foods now and replace them with fresh, whole foods like lots of water and veggies. Buy a new pair of walking shoes and find some clothes in your closet you feel comfortable to walk in. During a lifestyle change, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!

3. Get support. Whether it’s your best friend, spouse, or pet, it helps to have some nonjudgmental and nurturing support when trying to lose weight, especially during trying times.

4. Make daily notes. Research has shown that keeping track of your daily exercise and food intake in a journal or notebook will increase the likelihood of success. Keep it simple, or if you’re inspired, write a novel! The key is to hold yourself accountable.

5. Create a food-free reward system. How about a new workout outfit, pair of jeans, shoes — or what the heck, even a spa treatment, shopping spree, or weekend getaway? You deserve this kind of treatment when you reach your goals.

6. Buy a pedometer. A pedometer keeps track of how many steps you take daily. Wear it every day, around home, work, and while exercising. Your National Body Challenge goal is to increase your steps by 10,000 or more daily! Remember this: You’ll burn roughly 100 to 125 calories by taking 2,500 steps (about one mile). The goal during the challenge is to burn 300 extra calories and to eat roughly 200 calories less in a day. This 500-calorie deficit is equivalent to one pound of body fat per week and a healthy boost to your self-esteem.

7. Don’t skip breakfast. Research shows that the most successful “losers” never skip it. Try to keep it balanced with some protein, a healthy carb, and a small amount of fat. Here are some examples: an egg-white omelet with fresh berries and a piece of whole-wheat toast, or a skim milk shake with fruit and yogurt.

8. Nix the late-night eating. If you eat a lot of excess calories after 8 p.m., you wear them the next morning. Put a stop to this by making sure you have a healthy dinner consisting of lean protein, veggies, and fruit.

9. Eliminate processed sugars. Processed sugars are carbs that have been stripped of their valuable nutrients. How can you identify these sugars? They are all white: table sugar, pasta, rice, and bread, and they’re nothing but trouble, since they kick up your appetite for more of the same.

10. Have a mid-afternoon snack. This will curb your appetite and provide fuel for your after-work walk or workout at the gym. Some great snack ideas include: reduced-fat peanut butter on a multi-grain cracker, a couple of pieces of low-fat string cheese and an apple, cottage cheese with pineapple, or try a low-fat cheese microwaved in a whole-wheat pita.

From Discovery Health Channel National Body Challenge