Exercise and Nutrition common questions

Is exercise the most important thing for weight loss?

For weight loss for most people (not talking about athletes) diet is more important than exercise. Exercise alone cannot counterbalance excess calorie intake. Exercise though can control appetite and can impact body composition.

If you are working out do you need to eat protein powder? And what to eat before and after?

After exercise muscles are more prone to incorporate proteins, even after 48 hours your muscles are sensitized to protein intake more than they’d be if you had not exercised. So generally, It’s a good idea to eat protein after exercising.

Is exercise important during menopause?

Yes. In menopause weight lifting makes a difference especially when it comes to loss of bone density. Lifting relatively heavy weights stimulate bone growth. Be aware that you also need an adequate intake of calcium,  vitamin D, omega 3, and proteins from lean sources.

Is yoga effective in weight loss?

Not effective as other forms of exercise, but it can be beneficial to weight loss in an indirect way. There are forms of yoga more intense than others (like ashtanga, vinyasa flow level 2-3, rocket, dharma).

Do you need to do both weights lifting and cardio to get benefits from exercise?

To get ALL the potential benefits the answer is yes.

Do men and women respond to exercise in the same way?

No. Female hormones play an important role.

How much exercise do you need to do to start to get benefits?

There are different guidelines but generally, we say at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes a week of vigorous exercise + 2 strength sessions. But everything literally counts, even as little as 10 minutes a day to start with. The more the better. People respond differently to different forms. A general advise could be: do what you really like and do as much as you can.