Pre/post workout meal tips from Yvonne

Hey everybody!




Yvonne here. This will be my first blog entry and I'm thrilled to contribute to getting people excited about leading healthy lifestyles.

Lately, a lot of my friends have been asking me "What should I eat before and after my workout?"



Does it really matter what you eat before you go to the gym? Does it matter when you eat it?



The answer is: yes, it matters. It affects your performance during training and it affects your results afterward.



Your body needs the energy necessary to perform the exercises in your workout program. No fuel, no energy. Makes sense, right? Now don't go and have a casserole hotdish before you hit the gym. With a large meal like that, your stomach and bowels will be competing for blood flow and energy with your muscles, which can give you an upset stomach and inhibit the results you want to get. If you don't eat anything you might get low blood sugar, lack mental sharpness and might feel faint during exercising. What to do?





Before: According to Jackie Berning, RD, a sports nutritionist at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, "It takes the body four to six hours to digest fat, about three hours to digest protein and about two hours to digest carbohydrates." So you can have a full meal 4-3 hrs before your workout. About 60-30min before, have a snack; if you don't have time to get a good snack and you're short on time (like in an early morning workout), then opt for some Gatorade or an energy bar 15min before you workout. The body's main fuel source is carbohydrate which is stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. Ideally you would want to eat something high in carbohydrates that can be easily absorbed, to have adequate glycogen stores. Avoid high fiber foods and foods with high fat content right before, which take longer to digest and might make you bloated and upset your digestive system.



After: Eating after your workout is important for recovery. Shoot for 15-45 min after you exercise. "If you delay refueling, you slow carb replenishment by 50 percent and protein repair by 80 percent", according to John Ivy, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas and the author of Nutrient Timing.



Protein provides necessary amino acids to repair muscle tissue that is damaged during intense exercise. You are not really going for chicken and eggs here, but something that can be absorbed quickly, which preferrably is a protein shake. Liquid will be used much faster, whereas complete proteins take time to digest. You could also eat a protein bar, because those are easily digested as well.



Carbs are just as important after exercise. You want to restore glycogen - if you don't do this by eating carbs, your body will do this by tapping into your muscles. And that is not what you are looking to do. Stick to simple carbs, because just like the protein, you want fast absorption. So wild rice or other complex carbs are probably not a good option in this case. Here are some examples you could try: Yogurt with fruit, PB&J, Bagel with Cream Cheese, Chocolate Banana Milk Shake. The general guideline is 0.15-0.25 gr of protein/pound of your body weight.



The bottom line is: there are certain things that are better than others right before and after your workout. You will find out by trial and error which ones works for you, give you the most energy and the best performance.



Signing off for today. Now go hit the gym!