health and nutrition

Why are health and nutrition always grouped together? Seriously, just look at this blog: the health and nutrition blog. I can be healthy without ever worrying about nutrition. Or at least, that's what I used to think.
I loved being an athlete. I loved being in shape. I loved being able to run as fast and far as I like. I liked pushing my body to the extreme. But what I loved most about being an athlete was the food. The sheer massive amounts of food. I wasn't inspired to eat nutritious food, I never counted calories, and all I know about the food pyramid is that the bad stuff is on top and the good stuff is on the bottom (I'm pretty sure that's right.) The best part of being an athlete was the huge quantities of food. It seemed like I was always hungry, and I ate whatever I felt like eating. My body was even kind enough not to show it. Didn't matter what it was, it was food and I was hungry. In retrospect, I wonder if I really did myself a favor.
Exercising and good nutrition do make a difference when paired together. I know, I know, what a clever little genius I am for that last sentence. However, like I said, exercising results in an enormous appetite, and not necessarily an appetite to eat healthy. It took me a while to figure out that when I had practice in a couple of hours, peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich was probably a lot better than pizza. Water, although not as tasty, is better than Mountain Dew. Dummy nutrition, yes, but it still took me while to figure it out. It wasn't until I started to eat healthier that I noticed what a difference it made. While I was still performing well with my crappy eating habits, I felt a lot better with healthier eating habits. I wasn't as sluggish or weighed down. It was easier to get moving and into the workout. I wasn't as completely wiped out after practice. After a while, it wasn't hard to conscientiously eat healthy...it was just habit.
So the reason health and nutrition are always found side by side is because nutrition is health and health is nutrition. You can't really be healthy without good nutrition, and good nutrition is aimed at being healthy. They make a difference together, trust me.