If you are ready to begin taking your health and fitness more seriously, you’ve probably already thought a lot about how you plan to exercise. Maybe you’ll go to the gym a few times a week, take a fitness class, or go on an occasional run around your neighborhood.
But as important as exercise is, you must also factor nutrition into the equation when you’re trying to reach your fitness goals. Nutrition and exercise go hand in hand, so while nutrition is sometimes treated as an afterthought by some people, you should be careful not to make the same mistake. Here’s why nutrition is so important when it comes to fitness:
- Your body needs fuel to exercise. You wouldn’t expect a car to run without gas, so you shouldn’t expect your body to run without fuel, either. You need to eat balanced meals with the proper vitamins and minerals in order to exercise properly. You’ll be able to get more out of your workout without losing stamina, and you’ll feel much better afterwards.
- Good nutrition helps prevent injuries. Your body needs nutrients like calcium, protein, magnesium, vitamin D, potassium, and phosphorus to build bone density. When your bones are healthy, there is a reduced chance that you will injure yourself while working out, provided you train properly and avoid overdoing it. And if you were to get injured, healthy bones help you recover faster.
- Eating right maintains muscle mass. Poor nutrition can reduce your muscle mass. Muscle mass is necessary for you to burn calories, and it offers other benefits like a stronger immune system, higher energy levels, and lower stress levels. To retain these benefits, you need to eat well.