Are You Ruining Your Body?

Perhaps you are wondering why a yoga and Pilates instructor often raves about your eating habits. I mean, yes, indeed, I am a weight loss coach, but I don't have a degree in nutrition. I'm self-taught. Incidentally, I've trained a few people who DO have college education in nutrition. They still need help to keep on track and consistently progressing. Anyway, my point is, why don't I leave the diet talk to dieticians and focus only on exercise?

To be perfectly honest, I would love to discuss only exercise. To divulge how various exercises sculpt the human body into a finely tuned machine of strength and agility is my true passion. It's completely impractical to ignore diet, though.

You see, I write this to benefit you. My purpose is to give you practical tips that you can use to improve your health and fitness.

Which leads us to the disturbing truth...

Your diet is ruining your body.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but someone had to say it. I can talk about exercise until I am blue in the face, but until you take charge of your diet, it would all be in vain. And when I use the word "diet" as follows, I really mean nutrition. Diets don't work.

Today's statistics show that nearly 60% of the population is currently overweight or obese. While this is shocking, according to a new study reported by WebMD, three out of four US adults will be overweight or obese by the year 2015. That's 75% of us.

Wow, those are some scary numbers. I certainly don't want to become part of that statistic, and I know you don't either.

So what's the deal? Why are we getting fatter and fatter? It all comes back to that little word...diet. The diet of today's adult is simply out of control. Here's why:

-Portions gone wild.

It all started in the 1970's. The public has been exposed to increasingly larger portions at restaurants, resulting in overeating. Since then portions have continued to grow and most people continue to clear their plates despite the extra calories.

-Convenience food mayhem.

Junk food is so much more prevalent and available now. Have you ever noticed how the checkout line in the supermarket has changed in recent years? It used to be stocked with gum, mints and a few candy bars. Now everything from potato chips to cookies sit within arm's reach. Very few people get through their day without consuming some kind of convenience food.

-Fast food fallout.

How many fast food restaurants do you pass on your way to work? Probably more than you can count. How many times do you stop in for a quick bite? Probably more times than you would like to admit. Fast food has never been more available than it is today-and it shows in the waistline.

Here's something you may not know: If you were to exercise everyday of the week but failed to change your eating habits from those listed above, you wouldn't see any visible results.

Now don't get me wrong-exercise is a vital ingredient for improving your fitness level, health and the shape of your body. Exercise and good nutrition go hand-in-hand. You won't make progress toward your goals without them both.

So where does this leave you? The way I see it, you are faced with an opportunity. With just a few small changes to your daily eating habits you could be well on your way to having an incredible body. Couple this with an exercise program and you will be unstoppable.

Keeping with my goal to give you practical tips to improve your health and fitness level, here are three ways to improve your diet.

1. Slash your portions.

Even though that mountain of pasta looks great, remind yourself that it is three or four times more than you really need to eat, and those extra calories are going to land right on your waist. Consciously make an effort to reduce your portions at each meal and watch how your weight shrinks and your energy soars.

2.Pack your snacks.

Instead of turning to a bag of chips or packaged cookies in mid afternoon, reach for a piece of fruit instead. Nuts or seeds would be an even better choice with high protein, high fiber, and healthy fat. It only takes a few minutes to pack healthy snacks for your day, and it will save you a boatload of extra calories. Convenience food is packed with sugar, fat and empty calories that will only leave you sluggish and uncomfortable.

3.Cut out one fast food meal per week.

If you are guilty of consuming "X" number of fast food meals a week, simply indulge in one less this week. Next week reduce that number down to three. And then two, and then one. Once fast food isn't a regular part of your diet you should look at it as something to be had as a treat-not a dietary staple.

Now that you have three simple ways to drastically improve your eating habits, this brings us back to exercise. I must emphasize that you definitely do need regular, challenging exercise in order to achieve and maintain results. It's as simple as that.