You have conquered the urge to be lazy and are up and running. Good. What next? There are certain important things you must put in place to ensure the effort pays. Number one is how you feed your body.
Eating is very important. In fact, eating well is the key here. Don’t be so shocked, but even some kind of hemp can help.
Benefits of Eating Before and After Workout
Some of the benefits of eating includes:
- Maximizing your performance during the workout. Studies show that people who eat before a workout develop more resilience during exercise. They can often work for a longer time without becoming dizzy or light-headed.
- Better recovery at post-workout.
- The build-up of the muscles and prevention of rupture of the muscles.
- Improves the mood states of the body.
- Endogenous glycogen stores are maximized.
How Should People Who Workout, Eat?
However, there are factors involved in taking meals before and after a workout. Some of them are:
The type of food to take in
Experts recommend that it is important to meet the daily intake of protein approximately within every three hours. Proteins are major muscle repairers and builders. This class of food is therefore needed during such muscle-building activities.
So far, it seems like carbs and proteins are the main classes of food to consider here. This is because carbs help for strength, and protein supports that strength by building up tissues and muscles. But we must not forget essential amino acids to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS).
Body strength comes from fat and glucose. But taking in more fat and protein-rich food reduces the endurance limit during exercise. Whereas the reverse is the case when consuming more carbohydrate-rich sources (Gollnick, 1985).
Hydration is also very important. Athletes should drink enough water during and after exercise, according to John Batson, a sports medicine physician and also works at American Heart Association.
Vegetables and other foods rich in high fibre should be avoided before a workout because they could be difficult to digest.
Related: When Healthy Eating Isn’t Healthy: Not Every Food You Eat is Healthy
The timing of the food intake
Studies show that changing the frequency of meals does not have a lot of impact on weight loss and body composition. But the frequency of meal intake can improve appetite and satiety. Taking in protein before sleep, especially that which contains casein can improve metabolism rate through the night.
Some studies have shown how carbohydrate-when consumed an hour before exercise, can improve workout performance and prevent lightheadedness after a workout. Ariene Semeco of Healthline suggests taking food two to three hours before exercise.
Webmd says that one can have tummy problems when he eats immediately before workouts. This is since more blood goes into the muscles during exercise, causing less blood in digestion operations.
As mentioned earlier, one to three hours before a workout is great to feed the body with some light snacks. Two to three cups of water should be taken in before exercise, a half to one cup every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise, and two to three cups for every lost pound during exercise, within an hour after exercise.
The number of calories to take in
If you are exercising to burn off fats, then the goal is to reduce the number of calories in the body. But it may not be as straightforward as it sounds. It is not ideal for starving to achieve this goal or go empty before exercise to achieve faster outcomes. You would not want to become weak and inactive during workout activities. Hence, experts recommend fueling the body with the right number of calories before and after workouts.
Nevertheless, take note to fuel the body with only healthy sources of calories: whole-grain cereals, low-fat yogurt, whole grain pasta, fruits, and vegetables. Juice should be made from fruits, not artificial chemicals.
The types of nutrients to combine
For example, combining carbohydrates with protein is intended to increase glycogen stores. This also works to ameliorate muscle damage, facilitate greater adaptations to acute and chronic training. Fat should not be in excess here, but healthy fat will have no problem.
Related: Healthy Foods That Keep You Sated All Day
The type of exercise
The intensity of the exercise and workout duration affects the kind of food intake, especially carbohydrates. Furthermore, the state of training that the body has attained and the diet previously consumed affects the number of carbohydrates.
Light but prolonged exercise uses up fat until it contributes to 80% of the total calories spent. Despite this fat contribution, carbohydrate is still used more.
In resistance exercise, carbohydrate is ingested to improve euglycemia and higher glycogen stores.
Some Recommended Foods
The aim is low fat, low fiber, lean proteins, and fluidic foods for easy digestion. Here are some foods to take in pre-workout:
- Chicken Sandwich or sandwich filled with butter, peanut, and jelly.
- Cheese pizza.
- String cheese.
- Oatmeal with low-fat milk and fruit.
- Smoothies from fruit and yoghurt.
- Staple fruits like raisins, almonds are antioxidants, high in protein, and help conserve body fat needed for work out.
- Low-fat latte
- Banana is rich in potassium, digests with ease, and is a great carb.
During exercise, fluids are mostly recommended. Ordinary water is great unless you are in intense training and exposure to the sun’s harshness, then some sports drinks may come in handy.
For post-workout, meals rich in protein are recommended:
- Egg diets like a boiled egg, or egg and whole-wheat toast
- Meat
- Chocolate. This gives a 4 to 1 mixture of carbs and protein. It is also water, and therefore great for hydration.
- Whole-grain turkey wrap
- Greek Yoghurt and Fruits
- Rice, chicken, and vegetables.
Apart from this, you can also use hemp protein post-workout supplements in order to get maximum results. Unlike other hemp substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, this appears safe.
Goodhemp recommends that it helps in sleeping well, relieves muscle soreness, and promotes ease of movement. Although this substance is hemp-like, it is recommended for future research.
Conclusion
Workouts can be both energizing and tiring, and your body loses some calories. Whether it is some casual steps or a rigorous training routine, eating healthy before, during, and after the workout helps you retain strength for longer periods and come out strong.
