Study Says: The More You Exercise, The Healthier You Eat

You’re burning more calories and you need healthier food to fuel your working out regimen, but how does that affect your diet? Turns out, much more than you think. A new study just revealed exactly how an increase in fitness output changes what you put on your plate, and the more you sweat, the healthier you eat.
The research, published in the International Journal of Obesity, shows us that when we finally do kick off that workout routine we’ve always dreamed of and actually stick to it, multiple different areas of our life can be impacted.
“One of the reasons that we need to promote exercise is for the healthy habits it can create in other areas. That combination is very powerful,” says Molly Bray, the study’s corresponding author and the chair of the Nutritional Sciences department at the University of Texas at Austin.

When tracking the exercise and eating habits of the study participants — all of whom were between the ages of 18 and 35 — the researchers found that these young years were pivotal in helping us create healthy eating and exercise habits for life.
A total of 2,680 young adults took part in the study, and had all reported sedentary lifestyles at the start of the study, with no specific exercise or diet strategy in place. After 15 weeks of following a workout schedule that included three 30-minute aerobic workouts per week, the participants reported craving far fewer fried foods and sodas, and instead found themselves reaching for lean proteins, as well as fruits and vegetables.

After all, the more intense the workout, the more serious the appetite. If you’re significantly upping the length and intensity of your sweat sessions, your body will naturally crave the foods that’ll help to fuel it to its maximum capacity.
Whether it’s certain foods that will help to power your workout, or the best ones to eat afterwards to really maximize the effectiveness of working out, your intake of food is vital in making your workouts all the more worth the work.