Can You Out Exercise a Poor Diet?

Exercise is necessary to your health, and for more reasons than you may think.

One of the most frequent nutrition mistakes people make is thinking their normal daily movement and/or exercise will counterbalance bad food choices. While weight management is largely a balance of calories in vs calories out, in most cases, we cannot count on exercise to make up for improper nutrition. There are some exceptions to this statement, but for the majority of adults, you can’t out exercise a poor diet.

Exercise is necessary to your health, and for more reasons than you may think. Activity helps your cardiovascular system be more efficient, it releases endorphins that may benefit your mood, it builds muscle tissue to support your bones, increases calorie usage, and it can even help keep hormones in balance. Although exercise will burn calories, it takes much longer to burn those calories than it does to eat or drink the calories. For example, if you plan out your meals and snacks for the day to meet your calorie needs, but end up adding a can of soda (180 calories), 4 pieces of mini candy at the office (200 calories), and a handful of chips/crackers when you get home from work (150 calories), you are now in calorie excess by 500+ calories. I know, that added up fast, right?!

You might think your 10,000 steps or workout for the day easily counterbalances those extra calories, but it would take most of us nearly an hour of moderately intense activity to burn those 500 calories. And, remember, that is just to counter balance the extra calories. If your calorie burn each day is similar to the calories you consume, you will likely maintain your weight. If you have a reasonable deficit in calorie intake, you are more likely to lose weight, and if you are in calorie excess, you are more likely to gain weight. Your balance of carb, fat and protein, food timing, and food quality all play roles in weight management; however, energy consumed versus energy burned may be the most significant factor.

The lesson is, don’t count on your exercise to counter your poor food choices. Use exercise for all of its benefits and to progress you toward your racing goals, and make food choices that complement these goals. That doesn’t mean you can’t have that piece of candy or handful of chips, just choose portions that fit in your calorie budget and are part of a balanced-diet.