Eat to exercise or exercise to eat?

4LeafMint
4LeafMint Posts: 65 Member
edited December 21 in Fitness and Exercise
What is more important? Eat healthier to exercise harder or workout harder to eat more.

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I like to eat for my goals and fuel my workouts. A little extra exercise to eat more helps too.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    food is fuel - i like the comparison people make to cars - you need to keep your car (or body full) in order to have it function properly
  • 4LeafMint
    4LeafMint Posts: 65 Member
    I am exactly the same. I eat to get stronger and but not excessive. I will eat and drink things I really don't like just so I can get the right macros. If it taste good it is only a plus.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    What's more important to you?

    I eat a certain way because I like to perform well on the road and trail, and I'm trying to look better naked. But god damn I love a good meal.
  • 4LeafMint
    4LeafMint Posts: 65 Member
    I am not normal and I know it. Very driven. I lift extremely heavy way past what most can people can take as far as pain. I have lifted a very long time but very smart and never injured myself. But I really enjoy my lifestyle. So I measure my pleasure in a different way than most.
  • brittanystebbins95
    brittanystebbins95 Posts: 567 Member
    "You cannot outrun a bad diet."
    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Just a couple of my favorites :)
    Exercise is absolutely WONDERFUL but nutrition is more important, in my opinion. If you're lifting heavy, definitely make sure you're eating enough, but you also want to make sure you're eating healthy for most of the time and getting the proper nutrients :)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    4LeafMint wrote: »
    I am not normal and I know it. Very driven. I lift extremely heavy way past what most can people can take as far as pain. I have lifted a very long time but very smart and never injured myself. But I really enjoy my lifestyle. So I measure my pleasure in a different way than most.

    My friend had a minor heart attack, and ran a tough trail marathon a week later. The doctors are amazed at her pain tolerance. She says she just doesn't have anything else to do that she enjoys as much as running.

    I still need to lose a bit of weight, but I have enough spirit not to let it hold me back.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Do I have to pick?

    I run for French fries. I wouldn’t be able to fit them into my calorie allowance without running, and they would also spike my blood glucose (diabetic) if I didn’t arrange my food around my carb needs from exercise.

    I also fuel my exercise properly and try to provide my body with enough protein for muscle growth and repair.

    These aren’t separate goals - I need exercise to eat, and I need food to exercise.

    Taking my blood glucose levels before and after meals and workouts provides me with a window into my body’s fuel requirements which most healthy people never see. I know by direct measurement how many carbs I need for a half marathon or a heavy lifting session, and how much my blood glucose control improves when I do or don’t work out. It’s interesting!
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    I’ve done it both ways but now as an older man, my current thinking is different.

    My prescription is to eat and exercise as little as possible to be as fit, functional and strong as I need to be living the life I’ve chosen. I believe anything beyond this "as little as possible" prescription provides recreational and social benefits more than extended life expectancy benefits.

    I definitely think differently than when I was younger.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    4LeafMint wrote: »
    What is more important? Eat healthier to exercise harder or workout harder to eat more.

    I don't think I can choose one of these

    I'm 50. I am probably eating the healthiest diet that I can. That healthy diet allows me to be very active. And that activity leads to more food. All of which leads to more health.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    brittanystebbins95 wrote: »
    "You cannot outrun a bad diet."
    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Just a couple of my favorites :)
    Exercise is absolutely WONDERFUL but nutrition is more important, in my opinion. If you're lifting heavy, definitely make sure you're eating enough, but you also want to make sure you're eating healthy for most of the time and getting the proper nutrients :)

    Oops! Abs are MADE in the gym and REVEALED in the kitchen!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,749 Member
    I walk and run because I enjoy them and they help me with my issues of anxiety and depression. The fact that I can eat more without gaining weight is a bonus. If I didn't walk and run, I'd be much larger than I am now, or I'd be so depressed I stop eating. I've done both in the past.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,009 Member
    4LeafMint wrote: »
    What is more important? Eat healthier to exercise harder or workout harder to eat more.

    Eat in a manner that supports your goals...
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    I definitely eat to fuel my workouts, but I must admit that when I am injured or taking it easy for some other reason, I struggle to not overeat. Definitely miss those extra calories.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    brittanystebbins95 wrote: »
    "You cannot outrun a bad diet."
    "Abs are made in the kitchen."

    Just a couple of my favorites :)
    Exercise is absolutely WONDERFUL but nutrition is more important, in my opinion. If you're lifting heavy, definitely make sure you're eating enough, but you also want to make sure you're eating healthy for most of the time and getting the proper nutrients :)

    Oops! Abs are MADE in the gym and REVEALED in the kitchen!

    I dunno, some people make abs for dinner, don't they . . . like flank steak fajitas or something? ;););)
  • VioletRojo
    VioletRojo Posts: 597 Member
    I strive for balance in my life. Balance between career and family, between exercise and lying on the couch, balance in the foods I eat.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I exercise for my overall health and well being and general fitness. It's nice that regular exercise also allows me to eat a little more. I'm a recreational cycling enthusiast, so not hugely concerned with eating for performance...I figure a solid, nutritionally sound diet is just fine...no clue what my macros are and don't care.
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