If you ask me this question – What is more important- Exercise or nutrition for muscle strength? I always give one answer – Both. It’s important to understand that nutrition is incomplete without exercise and vice versa. Nutrition and exercise are interconnected to strengthen your muscles.
Physical exercise for muscle strength –
There are different forms of exercise that can help you to keep your muscles strong and fit. I am sharing a few which I do frequently and are suggested by my trainer. These are simple exercises which you can easily do at home.
- Jumping Jacks
- Push-ups
- Forward lunges
- Plank
- Squats
Other than these, you can also try strength training a few times a week. Also, it’s a myth that women can’t do strength training as it will make them look bulky. I have been doing it for the last 2 years and it really helps in strengthening the muscles. Check out this post to know about strength training for women.
As I said, exercise alone won’t help you in this, let’s check out the right nutrition tips to help you in your goal.
The right nutrition for muscle strength –
You won’t be able to repair the muscle wear and tear without good nutrition. Just working out in the gym and paying no attention to the right food is not right. For muscle repair, you need amino acids for which you need proteins. But you do need fats and carbohydrates too when it comes to muscle gain and strength.
Here are a few food items that you can include in your diet –
- Yogurt – You can eat it for breakfast with fruits or as a midday snack. Include some fruits and you are good to go.
- Eggs – It’s a complete food when it comes to nutrients. Try including whole egg instead of just whites.
- Paneer or tofu – These are both good sources of proteins and calcium.
- Bananas
- Almonds
- Beans etc.
For muscle strength, you need a balanced nutrient-rich diet. You cannot just focus on one food group and ignore others. Also, make sure you avoid extra sugars and fried and processed foods.
How are exercise and food interconnected?
Food provides energy for exercise. When you work out a lot, you need the right nutrition to get the energy you require. So, you need to get the proper amount of nutrients like protein, which is needed to maintain and rebuild muscles. Exercise helps to not only keep you away from diseases but also help you to stay stress-free. I hope you got the idea of how both are important – exercise and nutrition for muscle strength.
I include different forms of exercise in my daily regime. For example, yoga and dancing on alternate days and strength training in between. Along with this, I try and eat healthy to keep my muscle strong. As I know that men and women start losing muscle mass fast after the age of 40, I wanted to check my muscle strength.
So, I took this muscle age test and I was glad to know that my muscle age is according to my actual age. Check your muscle age here https://bit.ly/MuscleAgeTest
Sharing a video of my test –
September 22, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Thanks for this helpful and eye opening post, Deepa.