What you eat before and after exercise makes a significant difference in how you feel and how well you perform…
During exercise, the body gets energy from glycogen, a type of carbohydrate that’s stored in muscles and the liver. Being hungry going into a workout rapidly depletes glycogen and can cause premature fatigue. Recommended…
Combine protein with carbohydrates. For example, have a hard-boiled egg (for protein) and half a bagel (for carbs) about an hour before a workout. Protein makes carbohydrates a slower-burning (longer-lasting) energy source.
If it will be more than an hour until you can exercise, eat something substantial, such as a peanut butter sandwich or a wrap with turkey breast, lettuce and tomato. This larger meal takes longer to digest and will stay with you longer so that you will have enough energy for your workout.
Note: It isn’t necessary to eat first thing in the morning before exercising as long as you have a good dinner that includes carbs the night before.
Remember the “90-minute rule.” It takes about 90 minutes of hard exercise to deplete stored glycogen. If you engage in extended cardiovascular workouts, you’ll need to replenish glycogen while you exercise. You can munch on a protein/carbohydrate bar or sip a sports drink (such as Gatorade).
If you’re trying to lose weight, schedule your workouts so that you’ll have lunch or dinner when you’re done. The increased expenditure of calories that occurs during exercise persists for about an hour afterward. Eating right after a workout allows you to take advantage of the increased calorie burning.
Get enough protein. Muscle cells are very receptive to amino acids (the individual building blocks of protein) 30 minutes to one hour after exercise. Consuming protein right after exercise accelerates both muscle repair and muscle growth. You want to consume 15 grams (g) to 20 g of lean protein.
Examples: Two ounces of chicken provides about 12 g of protein. An egg has about 6 g.
Add a complex carbohydrate to replace glycogen. Muscle cells quickly absorb carbohydrates after exercise. The optimal ratio is four parts carbohydrate to one part protein. A turkey sandwich and a nonfat fruit yogurt has this ratio with 75 g of carbs and 18 g of protein.
Eat fruit. There’s an increase in muscle-damaging free radicals during and after exercise. The antioxidants in fruit reduce muscle damage and accelerate muscle repair. Also, the sugars in fruit quickly replete glycogen stores.
Check your water level. Weigh yourself immediately before and after exercise—and drink enough water to make up the difference. If you weigh a pound less after exercising, drink at least 16 ounces of water.
