Veggie Blog

Magazines and social media make it easy to believe that fitness means a certain body shape. The people you see are a small and selective sample, and what they show is a look, not a measure of health. Being fit means that your heart, lungs and muscles work well for what you want to do. Here is how to approach it in a way that fits a real life.

Where do you find the time?

Most of us are busy, but the guidelines are more modest than people think. Adults need at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week, which is about 30 minutes on five days at the lower end, plus two days of muscle strengthening. You could walk for half of your lunch break, get off the bus a stop early or train for 30 minutes before the rest of the family wakes up. Even short sessions add up, and the first key message of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans is to move more and sit less. For ways to fit it in, see five easy ways to get moving and everyday activities that count as moderate exercise.

Why is the “perfect body” a poor goal?

If your reason for exercising is to look like someone on a poster, you are likely to feel disappointed, because genes, age and body type all influence how you look, whatever you do. Health benefits come from the activity itself. The Physical Activity Guidelines point out that regular activity can reduce anxiety and blood pressure and improve sleep and insulin sensitivity, and that it reduces the risk of excessive weight gain. A more useful goal is something you can measure by what you can do: walking farther, lifting a heavier weight or finishing a class without stopping. If thinking about your body causes you distress or leads you to restrict food or exercise compulsively, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional.

How can you tell that you are getting fitter?

Look at what your body can do. You may walk farther before you tire, climb stairs more easily, or lift a heavier weight than last month. Your resting heart rate is another clue. The American Heart Association says that a resting rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is normal for most adults, that a very active person may be as low as 40, and that studies link a higher resting heart rate with lower physical fitness, higher blood pressure and higher body weight. Check it in the morning, before you get up, and watch the trend over months, not days.

What should you eat?

There is no secret. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage a pattern built on vegetables, fruit, whole grains, protein foods and healthy oils, with limited added sugars, saturated fat and sodium. What you eat will show in your energy and recovery, not in a single muscle. Our guide to how carbs, fat and protein fit together shows how to balance a plate.

How do you stay positive and consistent?

Treat exercise as something you do for yourself. Pick activities you enjoy, because you will do them more often. Start small, track your progress by what you can do, rest when you need to and be kind to yourself on days when you miss a session. A friend or a class can make it easier; see group fitness classes.

What about becoming a fitness model?

Fitness modeling and competitions are a job, and the training and diet are often very strict and adapted to photo shoots and events. They are a very different thing from the fitness that keeps ordinary people healthy. If you want to try it, talk to a doctor and a qualified coach first, and do not copy extreme diets or training plans.

The old version of this post told readers that a veggie diet could give them 13 more years on earth, quoting Michael Roizen’s book The RealAge Diet. It is an exciting claim, but I could not trace that number to a published study, so here is what the research does show.

Does a veggie diet really add 13 years?

I found no study that supports a gain of 13 years. The best-known evidence shows a much smaller difference, and it comes from observational research, which shows an association and cannot prove cause and effect. People who choose a vegetarian diet often differ from others in other ways too, such as smoking and exercise.

What does the best evidence show?

The Adventist Health Study 2 followed 73,308 Seventh-day Adventists in the United States and Canada for an average of about 5.8 years. In the 2013 analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine, vegetarians as a group had a 12 percent lower adjusted risk of dying from any cause than non-vegetarians. By type, the figures were 19 percent lower for pesco-vegetarians (who eat fish) and 9 percent lower for lacto-ovo vegetarians. For vegans the estimate was 15 percent lower, but the range of uncertainty was wide enough that it was not statistically significant. The associations were larger in men than in women. That is a real and interesting difference, but it is far from 13 years.

Is it only about meat?

The old post said that the more meat you eat, the worse your immune system gets, and that this is why most old people die of sickness. I could not find support for that, and I have dropped it. What studies point to is the overall pattern of eating: plenty of vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains, and less processed food. Meat is not the only variable. Our post on diet and disease covers what the World Health Organization says about processed meat.

What should you do if you want to try it?

Plan your meals so that you get enough vitamin B12, iron, calcium and protein. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said in its 2016 position paper that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, are healthful and nutritionally adequate and may help prevent certain diseases. Our post on vitamin deficiency and who is at risk covers the practical side. If you have a medical condition or take medication, talk to your doctor first.