Diet vs Exercise - Which Is More Important?

Is diet more important than exercise or vice versa? This is a question which people around the world have contemplated for years, often to no conclusion. Today we will help you to reach that conclusion for yourself.

Depending upon who you ask and their own fitness background, it's highly likely that you will get a different answer every time you pose this question to somebody. Ultimately, many of us base our decision purely off our own experiences and opinions. For instance, everybody has a friend who is always trying to latest celebrity diet plan. That friend will probably put huge faith in their eating plan being the most important factor because it's what they know.

Of course, if you pay a visit to the other end of the spectrum and speak to somebody who loves going to the gym you would hear the direct opposite answer. You'll be told that you can get away with eating your favorite snacks and junk foods providing you are able to put in the work in the weights room to burn them off. The big question is which approach is the right one?

Actually, it's neither.

One of the biggest, yet most common, mistakes is for people to attempt to prioritize one aspect over another. You'll hear things like percentages being used, with people often telling others than exercise is 60 percent of the deal whereas nutrition is the other 40 percent.

Following just one principle tends to make people fall into one of two potential categories. While everybody is different in build and stature, there are certain stereotypical features to watch out for here. The next time you are having a discussion about how to lose weight and this matter pops up, take a look at the individual in question and they will probably fit into one of two fields:

* Those who always keep up to date with the latest eating plans. They're always looking for the next miracle food and tend to follow celebrity magazines which promote this type of mentality. However, you will notice that while these individuals know how to cut calories and drop unwanted pounds they don't actually look any healthier than when they started because they haven't been stimulating their muscles at all.

* The guy at your local gym who always seems to be there no matter what time you workout. Every gym has at least one of these characters who believes that more exercise leads to more results. The main issue for this person is that they love the physical act of exercise but they completely neglect to watch what they eat. As a result they are able to build a bit of lean muscle but tend to have additional fat storage around their midsection.

Of course, it wouldn't make sense to knowingly put yourself into one of the two boxes shown above. If you want to build a better body you're going to have to learn how to apply both aspects to your lifestyle, otherwise you will not be very happy with your results.

It's almost like trying to decide whether fuel is more important than your car. At the end of the day, neither is very useful on their own. The correct approach is to apply both factors to your lifestyle and realize that neither is more important than the other. They are not in competition for your attention, they are two things which are designed to work together. If you are able to apply the basic principles of a good nutritional plan and a healthy workout program you will see positive change and the results will be sustainable, too.

The final word on this subject goes to bodybuilder Jay Cutler. During a recent tv spot, an interviewer asked the question is diet more important than exercise and the response was excellent. It's one hundred percent exercise, and it is also one hundred percent diet. This concept works whether you are trying to get into bodybuilding or simply trying to learn how to lose weight more effectively.