Activities And Nutrition That Necessary For Us To Get A Fit And Healthy Body

Hey, here I come…still remember I promised to have some nutrition sharing which helps to get you fitter and sexier in one of my earlier hubs regarding exercise?

Okay, now is the time!

Nutrition, it is all about the study of food and how our bodies use food as fuel for growth and daily activities, it is the way our bodies take in and use food, it’s the process of providing or receiving food or other life-supporting substances.

Simply put, it is defined as food or nourishment needed to keep an organism growing, healthy and viable. It provides the important elements that all living things need for life.Yes, every living thing needs proper nutrition to survive.

Besides that, I wonder if you willing to choose to believe that we have to be well consumed with the nutrition before the exercises could actually do their works…well, whatever your belief is, I would like to say that getting your nutrition on track is always a wise way for you to feel better, healthier and happier.

So, a little planning for finding the good nutrition food to fit your lifestyle somehow seems that important to you, don’t you agree?

Why we need it? Yes, why we need it? I mean...nutrition!

Say NO to obese of course!!!

Well, this may not seem the most important reason why we need the nutrition, yet no one would ever oppose with me that it does help to oppose the obesity.Yes, it helps us either lose weight or keep our BMI, which shows the relationship of weight to height in the healthy range.

Nutrition is a key element in leading a healthy lifestyle. Most experts agree that the formula for a fit, healthy body is 80% nutrition, 10% exercise and 10% genetics...

See? The formula for a fit and healthy body is 80% of nutrition and 10% of exercise! Now you get what I mean in my previous hub saying that we have to be well consumed with the nutrition before the exercises could actually do their works?

Okay, enough for that. Now, let’s have a deeper look into nutrition. We all know that foods that with great sources of nutrition are called nutrients.It gives us energy, growth, helps repair body tissues and regulates our body functions. So, by now you should know you need all these energy that the nutrients have given us for all our activities, including exercise, daily task or even…yup, you are right, even including sleeping…

Sounds unbelievable huh? Even sleeping...?!

We have learned in our school those days that nutrients are actually include proteins, carbohydrates and fats, which we called the macronutrients or “big” nutrients; and the so called micronutrients or the “little” nutrients which we need in small amounts are the vitamins and minerals. Still have this knowledge in mind eh?

Okay, let’s have some revision here, any objection?

Let’s start with carbohydrates first…

Carbohydrates – which come from the plant based foods that we eat, is the main source of energy for the body. When carbohydrates are in our body, they are being broken down and used as energy. When the body does not need it, it stores them into the liver and muscle (glycogen), when the liver and muscles cells cannot store anymore glycogen, it is turned into fat. So, when a quick boost of energy is needed, it converts glycogen into energy. And when it needs a prolonged burst of energy, it converts fat to energy. Clear enough?

I wonder if you know that carbohydrates do divide into two groups…

(1) The simple carbohydrates, which also called simple sugars that include fructose, sucrose and lactose as well as several other sugars.They are great sources of quick energy.

(2) The complex carbohydrates, which include fiber and starches that can be found in vegetables, breads, rice, oatmeal, whole grains, peas and beans, it takes longer to be digested and so our body needs more time to release these carbohydrates into our blood as glucose.

Proteins – A necessary for building our muscles and organs. They are necessary for keeping our immune system healthy, create and signal hormones. We may get the proteins from meats, eggs, and dairy products or we can also get them from a variety of grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

Fats - The substance in food that provides a rich texture and flavor. Can be found always from animal products such as meat, dairy, olive oil, lard, canola oil, walnut oil, butter, margarine and much more…

Wait! I know what is on your mind...Fats? Aren’t they got a bad reputation in the diet world? Yes, indeed, but those are being referred to bad fats, which can contribute to poor health whereas some fats, which we called the good fats, can really contribute to good health. Means…you have to be wise enough to choose the fats you need and the fats you need to avoid.

Now, let’s take a look at these “little helpers”. Oops, sorry…I mean…vitamins and minerals…

Little helpers, from the word itself, you know it means we only need them in small amounts. Although they are needed in small amounts, it does not mean that they are not important at all. Instead, they are just as important as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

They usually function as co-enzymes and help chemical reactions in the body happen a lot faster. Take for example, vitamin B helps your body burn carbohydrates for energy, vitamin C helps keep connective tissue strong and your immune system functioning. These are all water-soluble vitamins, which means our body does not store most of the water soluble vitamins very long, means they need to be replenished daily.

Whereas the fat soluble vitamins which include vitamin A, is needed for vision, and vitamin D,E and K are all vital for many of the functions our body needs to stay healthy.

Take this note in mind that chronic deficiencies of vitamins can always result in poor health.

So what are minerals then? Well, we always mistaken calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc and magnesium as vitamins, actually, these are all the major minerals. They are necessary for our maintenance of bones and teeth, muscle contractions and nervous system function as well, and they also play the important role for our energy, metabolism, and antioxidant protection.

I bet you should know more or less by now about nutrition which can provide a better health to us and give us a fitter body if we can include the exercise as well in at the same time. Yes, we are all pursuing it and we always need the right knowledge before we do any hard work, aren't we? Hey, I bet you know what's that work smart and work hard means huh?

So, wait no more, let's practice what we preach!