This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

During the recent carb challenge, I received quite a few questions about the role exercise plays in losing weight and maintaining a healthy body.

It's true, exercise definitely plays a part in staying fit. Being active not only is crucial to help maintain ideal weight, but it is good to help maintain bone density, activate your body's natural pumps (think the term 'get the blood flowing'), for postural purposes and many other reasons.

To treat a growing waistband with just one method of attack — exercise — isn't a good approach.

Too often I see people in the gym for hours on end working themselves into a lather. Sometimes the weight will come off, but often the person will see only minimal improvement, get discouraged (or burn out) and stop the exercise routine. These people often come back into the gym when they've regained the weight and repeat the cycle.

To truly make strides in reaching optimal fitness, you have to approach your health from several angles.

An interesting study recently conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., illustrated how successful a multi-approach can be. Adults who had an average body mass of 37.7 (30 is considered obese) were put on a 26-week program with a reduced dietary intake of 500 calories a day while exercise was increased to 180 minutes a week. They were also required to attend counseling sessions.

After six months, 60 percent of the participants lost at least 10 pounds and were on a maintenance program. Notably, the researchers found those who lost the weight also slept between six to eight hours a night and those who tested lower on their stress tests also lost more weight.

Another study published by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found similar results when it tested a group of women. The exercise-only group lost an average of 2.4 percent of their starting weight over a year, the diet-only group lost 8.5 percent, and the group that combined a healthier diet with exercise (45 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise a day, five days a week) lost 10.8 percent of their starting weight.

There are a couple of reasons the multi-approach works best.

To work out and continue to eat junk food won't do you much good. Chances are you might lose a pound or two, but you're also going to be hungrier due to the calories expended, which means you are likely to eat more. There's no benefit if you eat a doughnut, hit the treadmill, then eat another doughnut.

Even if you forgo the second doughnut and save a few calories, you are still putting stress on your body by eating junk food. Exercise is stress too, particularly vigorous exercise, which is extremely catabolic and tears down muscle.

This kind of exercise is perfectly fine and can help you get stronger if you are eating well, sleeping well and recovering well.

Unfortunately, in our society, those other aspects are often overlooked in the rush to get to the gym after a long day at work. Eating at a fast-food restaurant because you were at the gym late won't do you much good.

The best thing you can do is switch your thinking about diet and exercise and focus on what will make you healthier. What will put you in the best state for your chosen exercise? There is nothing like a good meal and a good night's sleep to nourish and help you be at your best, whether it is for an exercise routine or for your daily routine.

Furthermore, most people eat at least three times a day and work out once a day, if that. So changing the way you eat is going to have a bigger impact on your health.

Ideally, you can find time to have a proper meal, proper sleep and proper exercise. But if you have to make a choice, take the time to have a healthy meal rather than a rushed session at the gym followed by a poor food choice.

Lya Wodraska is a certified CHEK practitioner and holistic lifestyle coach. She can be reached at Lwodraska@sltrib.com. —

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For the next three weeks she will post her nutrition and activity log along with recipes, meal ideas and tips for those who still have questions about cutting carbs.