Nutrition or training: what gets you in shape?
Nutrition lays the foundation for getting in shape, and training builds on top of it. MyFitness trainer and nutrition therapist Kendra Kairi Vaino stresses a simple idea: if your fuel is poor, your body won’t have the energy to move well or recover.
That doesn’t mean the gym, a run or a group workout is secondary. It’s more a question of order. First food, sleep and a daily rhythm. Then training that helps your body get stronger.
Why does nutrition affect fitness so much?
According to Vaino, the answer is fairly straightforward: the nutrients you need are the body’s source of energy. If something in your diet is off for a long time, the desire to train often disappears too. Not out of laziness, but because the body is running in energy-saving mode.
Good nutrition supports everyday life. It affects your energy level, immunity, the condition of your skin and hair, your concentration, and how well your muscles recover after training. Honestly, it’s hard to talk about being in good shape when lunch is a coffee and a pastry, and in the evening you come home starving and eat half the fridge.
A big mistake is to think of a diet as a short period of punishment. Vaino stresses that you don’t have to go on a diet just to lower your body weight. A more lasting route is to change your eating habits so that all food groups are included and portions match what the person actually needs.
If the goal is to reduce body weight, Vaino recommends cutting daily energy intake by about 300 kcal and increasing movement. That’s a calmer change than a sudden starvation diet. A sprint on a very low-calorie intake may look effective at first, but the body often doesn’t get enough vitamins, minerals or the strength it needs for recovery.
How do nutrition and training work together?
A simple truth: food provides the material, and training gives the body a reason to change. If you eat better, you’ll have more strength in your workouts. If you move regularly, your body uses energy better, and your daily rhythm often becomes more naturally healthy.
According to the Estonian nutrition and physical activity recommendations, an adult should be active for at least 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity or 75 minutes at high intensity. That’s the minimum. For additional health benefits, 300 minutes of moderate-intensity training or 150 minutes of more vigorous effort a week is also considered a good target.
A moderate training load includes, for example, jogging, everyday cycling, mowing the lawn or a calmer group workout. Higher-intensity options are strength training, faster interval training or a tougher group class. Spread across the week, three harder workouts of about 50 minutes each are already a very solid start.
So what actually happens if you only train and ignore what you eat? The result is often hit and miss. Training may burn energy, but the wrong portion sizes, sugary drinks and evening snacking quickly eat that effect back.
Practical nutrition: what to look for on your plate?
Vaino points out a familiar problem among people in Estonia: too many sweets, sugary drinks and animal fats, and too few plant-based fats. The top of the food pyramid tends to be too big, even though that’s the part the body needs least.
That doesn’t mean you have to cut everything tasty out of your life. It’s better to look at frequency and amount. Are sweets an automatic part of every day, or an occasional conscious choice? Does your lunch actually contain vegetables? Does your fat come only from cheese, sausage and cream, or is there room on the menu for nuts, seeds and oil?
Another simple step is to take the moment of eating back. When eating in front of the TV, behind the wheel or at the computer, people often don’t notice how much they’re really eating. The body gets the signal late and the portion grows larger. A calm meal isn’t some fancy trick, but a very practical tool.
Start with small changes. Add protein to your breakfast. Add vegetables to your lunch. Swap some of your sugary drinks for water or unsweetened tea. Plan two to three fixed movement sessions into your week.
The most important thing is consistency. If you make a U-turn in one day, the plan often collapses just as fast. Your body and habits need time. One small change that you actually follow is better than a perfect plan that you abandon on the third day.
FAQ: nutrition, training and staying in shape
Is nutrition more important than training for getting in shape?
Yes, when it comes to body weight and energy level, nutrition is usually the first thing that changes the direction of the result. Training is still necessary, though, because it keeps your muscles, heart and joints working better.
Do you have to go on a diet to lose weight?
No. It makes more sense to change your everyday eating habits and keep a small energy deficit. A diet that’s too strict can make you feel bad and make backsliding more likely.
How much training do you need per week?
The minimum is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week. If the goal is to support your health more, it’s worth doing more than that and adding strength training to your week as well.
Author: Turg.Fitness.ee
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