What Happens if I do a Lot of Sports and Eat Poorly?

The combination of a healthy diet and physical exercise is ideal. Progressive weight loss can only be achieved by eating less and exercising more.

There are some people who believe that the best way to lose weight is to simply eat small portions and increase physical activity. However, this usually only generates short-term benefits. The answer to the question, “What happens if I do a lot of sports and eat poorly?” Is usually not positive.

Simple math

The human body requires proteins, vitamins, minerals and other elements in order to fulfill all of its tasks. This includes the most elementary tasks such as breathing and keeping the heart pumping blood to the whole body.

Calories are the main source of energy that allows us to put our bodies in motion. It’s impossible to walk or even open your eyes without calories. However, calories are also feared and even hated by some people who exercise a lot and eat poorly.

Eating poorly will only result in the body not having enough nutrients to function properly. Likewise, if you drastically decrease your caloric intake, it’ll not only make exercise a bad idea, it may reach a point where it’ll be impossible to exercise.

Is there an easy way out?

Eating too little is not exactly the same as eating poorly. Eating too much however, is closely related to a poor diet. Remember, the quality of your food is not necessarily related to the quantity.

It can be healthy to reduce the portion sizes of your daily food servings and increase the amount of time you spend performing physical activity. The has become one of the most well-known ways to achieve quick results.

The risk of caloric deficits

In addition to providing the amount of energy that the human body needs to function, calories also serve another set of basic functions. Basal metabolism depends on calories. Their presence is important for the proper functioning of the heart, brain, kidneys, lungs and the digestive system.

When the body enters into a caloric deficit, metabolism slows down. In addition, it’s practically impossible to drastically reduce your caloric intake without affecting your intake of proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

The sum of all of these deficiencies can result in moderate to high malnutrition. It can also negatively affect the immune system’s responsiveness. This will make it harder for the body to fight off diseases.

In addition, in the absence of a balanced diet, you’ll be at risk of suffering from complications of common illness such as the common cold.

Calorie excess

This is the opposite side of the same coin. Having a surplus of calories, vitamins and minerals can also be detrimental to your overall health.

In the specific case of calories, if they’re consumed in amounts that are greater than the body’s needs, they end up accumulating. The direct consequence of this is weight gain.

Too much exercise

Too much physical exercise can be as counterproductive as living a sedentary lifestyle. If you do a lot of sports and eat poorly the results can be catastrophic.

Exercise addiction, also known as exercise dependence or compulsive exercise, is a common condition when it comes to people with eating disorders.

Balance is the key

A successful exercise regimen must go hand in hand with a balanced diet. In the same way, it’s not healthy to have a good diet in combination with a sedentary lifestyle. The two aspects are closely connected.

So, what happens if you do a lot of sports and eat poorly? The only real answer to the question is an imbalance. Ideally, exercise should be combined with a healthy and balanced diet.

Eating poorly also refers to eating at inappropriate times. Skipping meals is one of the most common mistakes that people make. In the same way, being hungry all of the time is a sign that something is not going well in your diet. If you’d like to make major adjustments to your diet, it’s best to consult a professional.