What And When You Should Eat Before and After Exercise?
What And When You Should Eat Before And After Exercise?
When you exercise, you do it in order to try to maintain good health. You know that you have to eat so that your body has the energy to perform the workouts that you do as well as for everyday tasks. But, just what you should eat before and after your workouts is important for making the best of your workouts. Also, how long you eat before and after each workout is equally important. eat
So Let’s Start…
1. Eating Before Exercise:
Whether you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, You should try to make it a point to eat a mix of carbohydrates and protein.
What determines the percentage of carbohydrates and protein you should consume is whether you are doing cardio or resistance and the intensity level you will be working at.
The ideal time to eat your pre-workout meal is 1 hour before you start.
- If you are working at a lower intensity level, keep this meal down to around 200 calories or so.
- If you are working at a higher intensity level, you may need this meal to be as high as 400 to 500 calories.
- If you are doing a cardio session, you will need to eat a mix of around 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein.
This will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein to keep the muscle from breaking down during your workout.
- If you are doing a resistance session, you should eat a mix of around 1/3 carbohydrates and 2/3 protein.
This will give you enough energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum during your workout. It has been shown that your body most effectively uses protein during exertion meaning that taking in more protein before resistance workouts aids in faster recovery as well.
Here are Best Foods to Eat Before Exercise:
1. Whole Wheat:
Whole wheat bread with organic jam or a drizzle of honey. Simple carbs such as donuts, cakes, and white bread can burn quickly so go for the complex carbs. Complex carbs such as whole-grain foods can help fuel your exercise from start to end. They’re good for your digestive system too.
2. Protein Shake:
If you’re in a hurry, premade protein shake mixes are easy on the go snack. You can actually drink it on your way to the gym! You can also add carbs such as oats or bananas on your shake to help you stay energized for a long time.
3. Oatmeal:
If you’re working out in the morning, nothing beats a bowl of oatmeal to fuel you up. It settles well and provides you long-lasting energy. You may want to add fruits to help you get going.
4. Rice With Chicken or Fish:
If you’re working out after lunch or dinner, a simple dish of rice and chicken or fish or another protein-rich viand can provide you a good amount of both carbs and protein. Go for brown rice instead of regular white rice if you’re extra conscious of your food.
5. Peanut Butter:
Peanut butter is rich in protein and can be easily digested. With just two tablespoons, you can have as many as nine grams of protein. It is a good choice of protein if you’re working out and you have zero time to eat a meal. Just scoop it out of your jar and eat it as is, or you can add it to your bread and you’re good to go.
2. Now, Eating After an Exercise:
It is just as important as the pre Exercise meal. Remember that when you exercise whether it is:
A. Cardio or a Resistance Session:
- You deplete energy in the form of glycogen, Our brain, and the central nervous system relies on glycogen as their main source of fuel so if we don’t replace it after exercise.
- Our bodies will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids.
- Then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and central nervous system.
B. Also, Mostly During Resistance Workouts:
- You break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears.
- This means that right after a workout; your muscles go into a repair mode.
- Proteins are the key macronutrient for muscle repair and so you don’t want muscle breaking down further to create fuel in place of lost glycogen.
If You Have Just Finished a Cardio Session:
- You will need to consume mostly carbohydrates, preferably ones with high fiber.
- Oatmeal, rice, whole-wheat pasta, and most northern fruits are good sources.
- Try to consume around 30 to 50 grams of these carbohydrates after a cardio session.
- After cardio, it is ok to eat within 5 to 10 minutes of completion.
If You Have Hust Finished a Resistance Session:
- You will need a combination of carbohydrates and protein.
- Because unlike cardio workouts, with resistance workouts you are breaking down muscle tissue by creating micro-tears.
- The protein is needed to build up and repair these tears so the muscle can increase in size and strength.
- The carbs not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but also help the protein get into our muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or the muscle itself.
- Chicken or fish with a potato, egg whites with a piece of fruit, or a protein shake with fruit mixed in are good meals after resistance workouts but remember to keep the fiber low here.
- High fiber slows down digestion, meaning the protein will take longer to reach the muscle cells.
- After resistance, it is recommended to wait 30 minutes before eating so as not to take blood away from your muscles too soon. The blood in your muscles helps with the repair process by removing metabolic waste products from them.
Note: Any fats should be consumed well before and well after exercise.
Here are Best Foods to Eat After a Workout:
1. Chocolate Milk:
Low-fat chocolate milk contains all of the nutrients you need to recover. After drinking some, your body will feel good as new.
2. Juice And an Egg:
Aim for 100% juice without tons of added sugar. Orange juice is a good choice because it is rich in vitamin C. An egg provides the perfect amount of protein that you need after working out.
3. Peanut Butter And Graham Crackers:
These are a convenient, healthy snack for you to pack with you when you work out. You will get plenty of healthy fats, carbs, and protein with just two tablespoons of peanut butter and four crackers.
4. Yogurt:
This is one of the best foods to eat after a workout! A portion of yogurt will provide you with calcium and other beneficial vitamins and minerals. It also contains good amounts of carbs, protein, and fat that will reenergize you. Yogurt also contains probiotics, which are helpful bacteria that fight against infections.
5. Fresh Fruit:
Any type of fresh fruit is great as a post-workout snack. They contain a decent amount of nutrients to replenish your body. You can pair fruit along with a protein-rich snack for extra nutrients.
6. Hummus And Pita:
This is a great carb/protein combination. Hummus provides you with both carbs and protein. A whole-wheat pita contains plenty of energy-rich carbohydrates that will keep you energized for hours.
Tips:
1. In order to boost your endurance you can eat:
- Sugar-rich food items such as candy bars about half an hour before you start working out.
- This can provide an energy boost to your muscles.
- But you need to be sure that it is actually helping you in your workouts and not serving as a hindrance.
This is because a spurt in glucose has been known to slow down muscular activity in some people. So, watch out before you start relying on the ‘sugar-kick’!
2. It is also a good idea to avoid fatty foods before exercise because they take the longest to digest.
- In case you have a fitness trainer, ask him/her to prepare a diet chart for you.
- Fitness trainers usually have great knowledge of diets for workouts and thus can really help you determine what you should eat before exercise.
Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
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