Eating a Healthy Diet VS Exercise

I have been getting the question lately, which is more important - making healthy food choices or exercising vigorously everyday? There is not an easy answer to this question. Exercise keeps our hearts and blood vessels in good shape, improves the blood flow to our vital organs and helps us use the foods we eat more efficiently. And, exercise doesn't have to be vigorous to be helpful. Even walking or light housework is good for us.

If you eat a diet that is high in added sugar (juice, milk shakes, pop, baked goods), along with a lot of saturated fat from cold cuts, processed meats and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, you are clogging your blood vessels, causing inflammation that can increase your blood pressure, cause joint pain and probably cause your pancreas to become overworked and cause blood sugars to rise. Exercise can't fix these things.

My response to the question is this: You are what you eat. Find a way to eat foods that are healthy most of the time. Don't stress your body by eating foods that interfere with it's ability to do its job of keeping you alive and alert. Keeping your blood sugars lower and your blood vessels open will keep your mind sharp, your vision better, your circulation better and will give you more energy to enjoy life.

So, the moral of the story is; if you can't or don't have time to exercise, eating a healthy diet is still very beneficial to your health. Eating a healthy diet can make a difference in how you feel all by itself!