Why Nutrition is Important When Exercising

I got started on this whole question of why nutrition is important when exercising because my wife had some excessive weight gain due to some prescribed medicines she was taking. This effort started with some required reading from her doctor.

1. The Zone
2. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution
3. Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution
4. Healthy for Life
5. What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine

After some intense frustration related to our weight gain, we both decided to lose some weight. This started with a discussion with our doctor. She recommended two books that talked about diets.

1. The Zone - My wife started out reading this book about how to find out the right balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats to lose weight and regain a healthy lifestyle. She was excited about being able to measure or calculate the right combination of each in the meals we would be eating. The author talked about the success people had losing weight with this zone diet approach.

2. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution - At the same time my wife was reading The Zone, I was reading this book. Dr. Atkins talked about a simpler approach to weight loss focused on minimizing carbohydrate intake while consuming healthy fats and proteins. He also emphasized a three-pronged approach of diet, exercise and nutritional supplements. I found this approach to be quite achieveable on my part since I would not have to measure and calculate food portions. The exercise component intrigued me since I grew up playing sports. I was a high school wrestler, ran track and played basketball with my neighborhood friends. However, it had been a long time since I exercised regularly and I needed some urging to get going again. Anyway, my wife and I compared notes from our books and decided that the Atkins' Diet [he calls it the Atkins' Lifestyle] is what we would focus on.

3. Dr. Atkins' Vita-Nutrient Solution - Dr. Atkins constantly emphasized the importance of proper nutrition through vitamin and mineral supplementation. This lead us to this book which was a fascinating read on how nutritional supplementation could help with a multitude of physical ailments. My wife was able to eliminate 80% of her prescribed medicine by working with her doctor while doing Atkins. She and I both lost thirty pounds and have continued to reap positive benefits of this lifestyle approach.

4. Healthy for Life - In this book, Dr. Strand continues to reinforce this concept of proper nutrition. He spends some of his time in the book focused on the Glycemic Index and how it relates to food and weight loss. He really stimulates your mind and gets you thinking about why the normal approach to eating might be flawed.

5. What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About Nutritional Medicine - In this book, Dr. Strand provides a wealth of information about the benefits of using nutritional supplements to fight diseases. He presents some compelling facts about the negative effects of using drugs to fight diseases. He also focuses on the education process used to train our nation's doctors. It's a must read if you want to understand why nutrition is important when exercising and for achieving an overall healthy lifestyle.

I trust that our experience helps in your search for an ideal weight, gaining a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly and general overall well-being.