Whether you enjoy exercising or just starting to go to the gym, the chances of thinking about the foods you need to eat before your workout are low. According to fitness instructors and nutritionists – this is a big mistake you shouldn’t allow yourself. If you want your body to have enough strength to train and burn excess calories and fat, you need to bring in healthy “fuel”. So, what would be ideal to consume?
Why Is Nutrition So Important?
70% of the results in fitness depend on nutrition. Together with training and rest, it is the most essential factor for progress and results. The muscles cannot thrive unless we have adequate nutrition, adequate training or sufficient rest. If we measure the importance of a meal during the day, we can say that breakfast and a meal after the training are the most important. However, we shouldn’t neglect a meal before training.
Eating Before The Workout
Interesting fact: Our body burns the same amount of fat, whether we eat or don’t before our exercise. But, if you normally work out on an empty stomach, it will cause a muscle loss. Don’t believe that? Here is why! If we haven’t put enough calories into our system, our body goes to its survival mode. That means it will retreat proteins from our muscle instead of liver or kidneys. Therefore, we are starting to lose muscle mass. We may think we have lost a few pounds, but those are muscles only. Ultimately, that will slow down our metabolism, and it will be much harder for us to lose weight. Plus, we will be exhausted if we work out on an empty stomach and not giving our body sufficient fuel. Therefore, it is advisable to take some healthy natural supplements. Supplements like Ashwagandha can help you regain your strength and muscle size. According to NCBI, This ancient herb is also well-known for its enhanced virility, neuroprotection, and anti-cancer effects. It will also help you boost your endurance, keep your cholesterol in normal, decrease stress and enhance your sleep.
Source: AdobeStock
Before training, we mostly need carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index and which are slow-digesting. That kind of food will continuously provide energy during training. You can choose something like rice, potatoes, black bread, etc. Proteins should be taken from the red and white meat, eggs, or cheese. They will keep the amino acids high during training.
The amount of protein, as well as carbohydrates, should be slightly less than in other meals so that we do not load the stomach before training and can exercise smoothly.
Post-workout meals
Up to 2 hours after training is the most important period when it is necessary to bring in as many nutrients as possible. They should be divided into two meals. One smaller and one larger. This way we achieve to fill the empty glycogen depots in the muscles and liver, preventing catabolism of proteins from the muscles. Carbohydrates will bind water molecules, which will give the muscle a volume and a tight look.
After training, you should first bring in simple sugar. If it is a fruit one, you should choose one that has less fructose and more glucose, such as banana or dried grapes. Fructose slowly raises blood sugar levels, so it is better to opt for glucose. The second major post-workout meal should be the same as before the workout with only twice as much protein intake and twice as low carbohydrate intake.
Source: Naturalnie o zdrowiu
Keep these things in mind if you exercise, and stay healthy, firm, tight, and happy.
