Exercise cannot make up for poor nutrition …

There are a couple guys I see most days at the gym who are wasting their time showing up, doing what they’re doing.

They’ve been regulars in the gym for about a year and a half, yet neither have any visually perceptible gains from their efforts at losing weight and making a dent in improving their overall personal fitness.

One of the guys is an older fellow, almost morbidly obese, spends most of his time on two cardio machines with an occasional strength training exercise thrown in. His effort and energy level invested in his exercise at the gym isn’t sufficient for any significant gains, and in talking to other members he has confessed a lack of self-discipline in his nutrition. In fact, just recently he was opining about “not being able” to turn away from all the holiday treats like cookies and cakes and pies and feasts; basically, he admitted surrendering to any real efforts at self-control “until after the holidays.”

The other fellow is different. He’s probably in his early 40’s, overweight on his way to obese, shows up at the gym five days a week, and puts in a moderate to intense cardio workout every morning. By the time he’s done, he’s drenched in sweat from more than hour on the treadmill and elliptical machine. And still, after all this time, no discernible gains.

That’s because, just as with the first guy — and millions upon millions around the globe — there’s a truth about fitness that trumps their efforts:

Exercise cannot make up for poor nutrition.

People around the world have a habit of eating poorly by choice and then try to rely on a little (or even a lot) of exercise to offset their poor nutrition habit.

It doesn’t work.

Before you’re too hard on the two guys from the gym, you might identify with the person who knows (but won’t admit, often even to themself) they have an unhealthy diet lacking in adequate nutrition needed for their fitness AND health, occasionally feels a twinge of guilt for overeating at the dinner table, so they relent to sauntering around the block after dinner for “a little exercise,” trying to fool themselves that meandering casually around a few streets will help “counter” what they just inhaled.

It won’t.

It doesn’t, because it can’t.

For physical fitness, weight loss, and weight management, exercise and nutrition are an inseparable pair. Here are just a few of the reasons why exercise cannot make up for poor nutrition:

Your physical exercise directly relies on your nutrition. Proper nutrition, particularly adequate protein intake, is crucial for optimizing gains in strength training and exercise. Protein provides the building blocks necessary for muscle repair and growth, and without sufficient protein in the diet, you will struggle to see significant improvements in strength, muscle mass, and overall fitness. Therefore, a well-balanced diet that includes an appropriate amount of protein is a key factor for maximizing the benefits of exercise, especially in the context of strength training.

Weight management.. Nutrition plays a primary role in weight management. Even with regular exercise, a diet rich in sugary and high-calorie foods can contribute to weight gain, making it challenging to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. You’d need excessive, unsustainable exercise to offset a bad diet.

Nutrient deficiency. Exercise cannot compensate for a lack of essential nutrients in the diet. Proper nutrition is crucial for the body’s functions, and exercise alone cannot provide the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. For most people who DO eat nutritious meals consistently, they often still lack some of the vitamins and minerals at the needed levels; for that reason, as a certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist and as a certified Brain Health Professional, I routinely recommend people take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement. So imagine the greater lack experienced by people with a habit of bad nutrition (even if they do take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement)!

Energy balance. Poor nutrition often leads to an imbalance between calories consumed and expended. While exercise burns calories, relying solely on it to compensate for a diet high in unhealthy foods may result in an inadequate energy balance. Junk food provides empty calories, leaving you tired and lacking motivation for exercise and other activities.

Metabolic health. Exercise contributes to metabolic health, but it cannot fully counteract the negative effects of consistently poor nutrition on metabolism. Chronic consumption of processed and unhealthy foods can lead to metabolic disorders.

Overall health. Exercise improves cardiovascular health, endurance, strength, balance, and stability but it cannot address all aspects of health if nutrition is neglected. A well-balanced diet is essential for supporting immune function, bone health, and various physiological processes.

Inflammatory response. Poor nutrition, especially with a high intake of processed foods, can lead to chronic inflammation. While exercise has anti-inflammatory effects, it may not be sufficient to counteract the inflammatory impact of an unhealthy diet.

Long-term consequences. Over time, consistently poor nutrition can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and other health problems. Exercise can mitigate some risks, but it cannot entirely prevent or reverse the consequences of a consistently unhealthy diet.

Scotty