| Over the last decades, health and fitness has become | | | | can adopt a high-carb, low-fat diet or a low-carb, |
| an increasing concern for most of us. Some people | | | | high-fat diet. Just don't try both at the same time |
| crave a killer body and the attention that comes with it. | | | | unless you want to gain weight. |
| Others want the perfect abs, a tighter bottom, or | | | | But diets shouldn't be just about losing fat. A healthy |
| bulging biceps. The result of this movement has been a | | | | balanced diet maintains a healthy weight and avoids |
| proliferation of gyms, health centers, spas, and | | | | weight gains. Successful weight loss can only be |
| personal trainers. | | | | realized when the daily diet reflects lifestyle, individual |
| Ads for exercise equipment, weight loss products, and | | | | food preferences, unique physical needs, and feeling |
| star-sponsored fitness routines dominate television, and | | | | satisfied with what you eat. There's really only one diet |
| it's hard not to think you're the only one out there who | | | | that will work for you. That's the diet that helps you |
| isn't working on your body. In fact, the perfect body is | | | | stay fit, feeling healthy and satisfied with who you are. |
| one part of a healthy, quality life. | | | | And that diet is unique to you. |
| Being truly healthy requires a healthy lifestyle and a | | | | When you diet for fitness, there are three things to |
| proper, balanced diet. Diet for fitness provides the | | | | remember: moderation, variation, and balance. Plan |
| nutrition and energy we need to restore tired muscles | | | | your meal schedule so that you don't get too full or too |
| and maintain a positive productive energy level. Think | | | | hungry at any time of day. This may mean three |
| of the diet approaches - high-carb, low-fat, all-protein, | | | | meals, five meals, or one meal. It depends your |
| sugar-free, all-chocolate, Scarsdale, Atkins, South | | | | schedule and your physical needs. |
| Beach. There is no shortage of great-sounding fad | | | | Moderation means eating when you need to and |
| diets out there. | | | | eating the amount that satisfies without adding calories |
| If you pay attention to advertisements and special | | | | your body will only store as fat. Balance means |
| programs that focus on dieting and weight loss | | | | selecting a healthy diversity - the basic food groups. It |
| programs, you may not know where to turn for | | | | means getting the proper amounts of proteins, |
| dependable, honest facts about nutrition and health. In | | | | carbohydrates, fats, and fiber to keep your body |
| fact, most fad diets don't work, and they sure don't | | | | functioning at its highest potential. Variation means |
| support your health. So, what can you do to find out | | | | giving yourself enough choice to keep interested in the |
| what's best, and most healthy, for you? | | | | foods you eat. Eating the same things all the time is |
| In reality, there are two basic diet approaches: | | | | not only boring, it's unhealthy. Having a salad one time |
| high-carb diets and high-fat diets. High-carb diets focus | | | | and chicken the next will assure you get both the |
| on eating lots of carbohydrate-rich foods, and high-fat | | | | nutrition and the diversity you need. |
| diets endorse fat-rich foods. High-carb diets use burn | | | | The bottom line is that your important decision isn't |
| the glycogen in your liver and muscles. This glucose | | | | what diet program will work. It's about what diet |
| complex provides quick energy that you use in | | | | program will work to keep YOU fit and healthy. It |
| anaerobic exercises. | | | | doesn't mean going on a fad diet for a few weeks or |
| Fats are the richest source of calories, containing more | | | | months and then going back to your old habits. It |
| than twice as much calorie value than either | | | | means adopting a well-balanced, nutritious diet in |
| carbohydrates or proteins. When metabolizing | | | | combination with regular exercise and a healthy |
| carbohydrates, the human body burns 24 calories, yet | | | | lifestyle and sticking to it - for life! |
| it only takes three calories to burn the same amount | | | | One last word of advice: experiment. Try new foods |
| of fat. | | | | to keep your diet interesting and nutritious. Try new |
| So, which one is best? Neither. Each diet approach | | | | recipes to get a new take on the familiar. Who |
| yields results, as long as you stick to one type. You | | | | knows? You might even learn to love spinach! |