How Much is Diet and How Much is Exercise?

Yesterday at the gym, in the middle of a set, a woman walked up to me and asked me if she could ask me a question… even though she already did. I nodded up and down, finished my set and took my headphones out so that I could hear her. I’ll get interrupted nearly every workout, no matter where I’m training, so it doesn’t bother me. If it did, I would use my gym at home or just ignore people. Since I designed this particular fitness center, I’m even more friendly than normal, so I decided to help her out.

Random Woman (RW): “How much is diet and how much is exercise?”

Me: “It depends.”

(“It depends” is my answer to almost every single question, especially when it comes to anything related to training. It doesn’t matter if I’m working with cats, dogs, adults, children, athletes, non-athletes, swimmers, seals… there are so many different factors to take into consideration to provide the right answer to the person asking.)

RW: “Because my husband said…”

Me: “He probably read a few articles in men’s health magazines and thinks that it is 80% diet and 20% exercise, right? That is what a lot of textbooks and magazines say because they’re trying to provide an answer to a huge population, but that doesn’t really help YOU much. It depends on your goals. Are you trying to compete, as an athlete, or just trying to stay in decent shape?”

RW: “Just trying to keep my weight down.”

Me: “Well it mostly has to do with your calories in and out… think about it this way. It can take you a few minutes to consume 1,000 calories. It isn’t very hard work. It will take you much longer to burn that off, and for most people, that part isn’t fun. For many, it is easier to eat cleaner and avoid the miserable workouts. Is a cookie worth 30 minutes on a piece of cardio equipment?”

RW: “Ohhhhh, I see! I have a few more questions for you.”

Now, I didn’t record that so please excuse the use of quotations. It is a fairly accurate, and somewhat shortened, version of our conversation. I used some examples for different diets that various athletes use, which cater to their sports and goals. I told her that high-level endurance athletes often consume more carbohydrates. I also let her know to be mindful of the false claims of advertised caloric burns out there. Certain places will claim that you’ll burn 1,000 calories an hour in their classes, but the average Joe or Jane wouldn’t be able to maintain the level of intensity to hit those numbers. They might actually die trying. The people they use to test those metrics are absolute monsters.

There is a lot to take into consideration, which is why you really should consider getting personalized advice from an expert about how to reach your own, specific goals. That is the major takeaway from this conversation. You can find some great information, or ideas, online (on a blog like this, too!) and in-print, but nothing will beat a customized program. 

Let us know if you have any questions because we want to help you get (and stay) hungry and fit!

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