You want to stay fit because you want to have good health. To make this possible, you also eat healthy food to supply the energy that your body needs and to be able to carry out every activity that you have to do everyday. To maximize the advantages of your work out, it is highly encouraged that you give importance to the kind of food that you eat before and after your physical activities.
Whether you are planning on a resistance workout or a cardio exercise, it is very important that keep a balance mix of carbs and protein in your diet. The amount of carbs and protein that you need to take in will have depend on the type of exercise that wish to take on and the intensity that you plan to work at.
It is ideal that you eat your pre workout meal at least one hour before you start. A meal with a calorie content of 200 is best for those who plan on a low intensity meal. On the other hand, those who are planning to take on a high level intensity meal needs to take in a meal with 4,000 to 5,000 calories.
If you want a cardio session, it is highly advised that you consume a combination of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein. The carbs will sustain you the energy that you need while the protein will help keep your muscles from breaking down while you work out.
For your resistance exercise, eat 2/3 protein and 1/3 carbs for enough supply of energy and protein. The carbs will keep you going through every set of the workout and the protein will keep your muscles from breaking down.
Your post work out meal is as important as your pre work out meal. Regardless of the type of exercise that you do, you will deplete energy in the form of glycogen. Our brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as a main source of fuel and so it is very necessary that you replace the lost glycogen after your exercise. Otherwise, your body will break down muscle tissues into amino acids and convert them to usable fuel for your central nervous system and the brain.
During resistance exercise,your muscle tissues are broken down to micro tears. This means that after every work out, your muscles get into a “repair mode” and so it will need ample amount of protein to keep muscles from breaking down into fuel in lieu of lost glycogen.
After you finish a cardio exercise, it is very important that you consume mainly carbohydrates especially those which are rich in high fiber. Some of which are northern fruits, rice, oatmeal and whole wheat. Consume around 30-50 grams of carbs after every physical activity. You can start eating 5-10 minutes after your workout.
A combination of protein and carbs is very ideal after your resistance exercise. Unlike cardio activities, resistance work outs break muscle tissues through production of micro tears.
To repair and build up these tears, you will need protein so that your muscles increase in strength and size. Carbohydrates will not only replace of your lost muscle glycogen, it will also help the protein get through muscle cells allowing it to synthesize into structural protein.
After you finish your resistance exrcise, it is very important that you wait for 30 minutes before you start eating. This way, you won’t be taking blood away from your muscles too fast. The blood in your muscles will also help repair process as it aids in removing metabolic waste products.
