Eating and Exercise
By admin on Dec 17, 2010 with Comments 0
If we want to power through our workouts, then what we eat and drink before and afterwards is vital. The equation is simple – you need energy to fuel the activity and you need to replenish energy stores after you finish. Aim to eat an hour or two before exercise. This gives us time to digest the food so the fuel will be available when we need it. Low-GI carbohydrates are the best choice because they release energy gradually. Fat, fibre and large amounts of protein slow down digestion, so hitting the gym after a bag of chips or a protein shake isn’t going to help your workout! We’re all different when it comes to how much we need to eat before exercise, what we prefer and when we eat it. Do some experimenting and find out what works best for you.
Don’t eat too much before you exercise. Large quantities of foods take longer to digest than smaller quantities.
The two hours after exercise are crucial for optimum recovery and repair. Miss this window and our bodies cannot replenish the carbohydrate energy stores in time for tomorrow’s workout. It’s best to have a meal containing both protein and carbohydrates – the protein for muscle building and repair and the carbohydrate to replenish glycogen stores for the next workout. Glycogen is an energy reserve that the body easily converts to glucose when we need it. Recent research confirms that low-GI carbohydrates are the best choice. While the storage of glycogen may be less than high-GI carbs, the body is better at sparing glycogen in the next exercise session and will instead burn more fat. So that’s easy, we should go for low-GI carbs every time.
The longer we wait to have something to eat after exercising, the longer it takes us to recover!
And remember, always drink plenty of fluids to maintain hydration.
