Exercise or Eating Healthy: Which is more important??

To be a fit and healthy individual throughout college and beyond you must consider multiple factors. The way your body looks and feels is not just from the food that we eat or the amount of time we put in at the gym. Instead, it's a combination of nutrition, exercise/training, and genetics. Most people think that exercise and training is the majority of the battle, but in reality nutrition (ie. the food we eat everyday) is the main component in how we look and feel. For decades, fitness professional have been using an approach called the Healthy Body Formula to transform their clients' physique.

With the Healthy Body Formula, the way your body looks and feels is 10% genetics, 10% exercise/training, and 80% nutrition. YES, 80% NUTRITION!! So needless to say, the food that you eat everyday has a HUGE impact on your body.
If you can't fathom that food is the primary factor in shaping your health, take the current state of health in the U.S. into consideration. For the first time in the history of America, children may lead shorter lives that their parents because of the obesity epidemic that our country is facing. Prevalence of obesity-related diseases such as Hypertension (high blood pressure) and Type II Diabetes among children and adolescents has increased to rates much higher than ever before. There are numerous causes for this problem with the most signficant of these being the food we consume. Many of the foods that we eat are filled with additives that have little to no nutritional value. These processed foods are becoming staples of the "American diet" because of the convenience that they provide. Not only are these convenience snacks and meals packed with additives that most of us can't even begin to pronounce, but they also have more sodium, fat, and sugar than natural un-processed foods. We live in a culture that has a fast food, drive-thru, get it delivered, super size it, pull-up-to-the-buffet-and-stuff-yourself attitude toward food. Everyone wants "more bang for your buck"; therefore, restaurants serve meals that are often 2-3 times an actual serving size. This attitude toward food is a main contributor to the poor health of our country. If you weren't already aware of the importance of proper nutrition, hopefully this has at least given you a little insight.
Back to the other 20% of the Healthy Body Formula. Your genes obviously play a role in your physical appearance. Practically every physical feature you have from the shape of your eyes, the width of your hips, and the length of your legs are thanks to your parents, and your parents-parents, and so on. To a certain extent you must live with these physical attributes, but at the same time with proper training you may be able to make changes to your appearance. For example, I have worked with clients who want a slimmer waist but have genetically wider hips. Resistance training focused at the muscles of the shoulders, upper back, and specifically the Latissimus dorsi can create the illusion of a smaller waist. So this is where the other 10% of the Healthy Body Formula comes into play. Spending countless hours exercising won't make a healthy body. No matter how much time you spend at the gym, your body still needs proper nutrition to look and feel your best. This doesn't mean that you can't have a lean, sculpted body and eat poorly because you can; however, when exercise is combined with healthy eating you can spend less time in the gym and more time focusing on other things.
If you are unsure of what you need to do to eat healthier, don't worry!! Just keep reading my blog and I'll provide you with tips, recipes, and other information to help you work toward a healthy body.