We all know that we need a proper food and activity balance in our lives to feel our best and reduce a broad spectrum of risk factors for illness.
How to Create a Healthy Food and Activity Balance?
A healthy food and activity balance involves making sure you’re eating foods that provide you with appropriate nutrition and that you’re getting enough regular exercise. Your unique pattern will depend on a large number of factors, including your weight goals – such as if you’re trying to lose, gain or maintain – whether you have specific dietary needs, what your current fitness level happens to be, and so on.
By understanding your goals and knowing what you need to achieve them – such as a good pair of athletic shoes, a variety of nutritious foods, or even a weight management support supplement – you’ll provide yourself with a foundation for moving forward with creating your healthy food and activity balance.
How to Start with Nutrition for a Healthy Food and Activity Balance
According to the CDC, it isn’t necessary to count calories all the time. However, when you’re first starting with a food and activity balance, it can be helpful to use a calorie tracker to know your trends. This will give you a basic understanding of how many calories are in the meals and snacks you’re consuming on an average day.
From there, you can use the USDA MyPlate Plan tools to understand whether your current habits align with your ideal for health and wellness based on your age, sex, height, weight and physical activity level.
Keep in mind that not all calories are created equal. Part of creating a food and activity balance is to know that it’s better to focus on foods that are nutrient dense instead of just low in calories. Pay attention to portion sizes and whether you’re generally eating the daily recommended amounts of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein and fats. As you learn more about these needs, you can gradually adjust your current habits to better suit them.
How to Start with Exercise
The amount of exercise you need in your food and activity balance depends on your age, according to the CDC’s recommendations. The CDC and other major health and wellness organizations such as the American Heart Association align in their recommendation that a healthy adult needs 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
This should include exercises such as cardio/aerobic activities as well as muscle-strengthening exercises. Thirty minutes per day, five days per week is all that is required to meet that goal.
