Exercise and diet are the staples of a healthy lifestyle but have you ever wondered what would happen if you exercised without dieting?
Everyone’s body is unique in many ways. Some have higher metabolism, while others have low. Some have more fat, while others have close to none. Some develop muscles easily, while others struggle to maintain or build muscles.
No matter your body type, condition or concerns, if you are living a healthy lifestyle or striving to achieve one, you are on the right path. There is nothing more important than to identify your shortcomings and work hard toward overcoming them.
While an attractive body is subjective, a health body is fairly objective, and you should focus on developing a healthy, fit and agile body more than anything else.
So…
What Happens if You Exercise Without Dieting?
Well, you will develop some muscle mass and strength overtime but, that is only one part of being healthy and fit. If your aim is to lose weight, then exercise alone will not do much for your weight loss. If your aim is to become strong, then exercise will definitely help you in that department.
The truth is that no matter how your body is now, for a healthy body, exercise and diet go hand in hand. There are types of exercises and levels of dieting that have different effects on the body. A strong, professional fighter’s body is very different from that of a professional soccer player’s body.
They are both healthy but their type of exercise and diet is very different. The fighter eats relatively more calories and does resistance and strength training more, while the soccer player eats relatively less calories and does agility and cardio exercises more.
If either of them were to change their diets or exercise, they would subsequently change their bodies and it would have an impact on their performances.
Let’s discuss the different aims of people who are looking to exercise without dieting and why it is not the best approach.
- Weight Loss
Most people who are concerned about the results of exercise without dieting are the ones aiming to lose weight. If you are such a person and you have started exercising to lose weight, firstly, congratulations on making the right decision and on all your exercise efforts.
However, you may be disappointed to learn that exercise alone is not the best strategy to lose weight, especially if you fall under the category of “obese”. Do not let this deter your exercise efforts, instead, take this opportunity to start learning about a calorie-deficit diet and implementing it in your daily life.
When you combine regular exercise with a calorie deficit diet, you will efficiently lose weight and expedite your weight loss process. More importantly, you will become healthier and slimmer overtime. Although, it is important not to cross the healthy weight loss of a pound per week.
Here is a free online calorie-deficit calculator to help you on your weight loss journey.
- Fitness
The other group of people who are concerned about the results of exercise without dieting are the ones who aim to achieve fitness. If you are not “obese” and just looking to gain fitness and become lean through exercise, congratulations, you are on the right track too, but you still need dieting.
We come back to the fighter and the soccer player reference – they are both healthy, both exercise and both are on diets. However, these are very different diets, exercises and results. Similarly, you will need a diet too, not a calorie-deficit diet, rather a balanced, healthy diet.
Imagine yourself as the soccer player who eats a healthy diet and exercises regularly to stay fit and perform like an athlete. A healthy diet combined with good cardio and high-intensity interval training should have you looking, feeling and living fit like a soccer player in no time.
- Strength
Lastly, the people who want to learn about the results of exercise without dieting are the ones who aim to develop strength and muscle mass. If you are one such person, you are probably already exercising without dieting and maybe not getting the best results possible.
Maybe you feel sluggish or are not recovering well from your strength trainings. Diet affects more than just your weight, it has an impact on your entire body, health and life including your sleep, your energy, your thinking, training and your recovery.
To effectively build strength, you need a healthy protein-rich diet,that will help you develop more muscle mass and allow for better recovery from all your training. If you are excessively training to compensate for not eating a healthy diet, you are at a significant loss.
No one became healthier by eating greasy burger meals every day and burning the calories through strength training. You may gain strength but you will not be healthy. You need to be more like the fighter, eat smart and train smart to become a lean, mean fighting machine.
Maybe not that mean.
Conclusion
Exercise without dieting is not the solution to your problems, it is only half the solution. Imagine if you went to your dental hygienist and they only cleaned the top half of your teeth. Exercise without dieting is the same way, you get some of the results, but not the intended full results.
As mentioned earlier, exercise and dieting go hand in hand. They are like the yin and yang of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. No matter how your body is right now, a regular dose of exercise and healthy diet will significantly change your body and life for the better.
Moreover, if you want to work your way through any of the mentioned aims, you can start with weight loss, then work on fitness and move toward strength – in that order. The important thing is that you do it in a healthy manner.For more information on exercise, diet and an overall healthy lifestyle, please visit our website today.