Best Practices In Pre-workout Snacking

So you’ve finally made up your mind about getting some exercise –perhaps to get ready for the IronMan Triathlon; trim down your waistline; or maybe because you’re worried a sedentary lifestyle isn’t going to do you any favors. However, before you get started with your jumping jacks or kettlebell workouts, you might want to think about getting fueled up before you start sweating it out.

You might be surprised that you’ll need to eat before exercising. Isn’t the point to lose weight? Wouldn’t noshing on something just weigh you down?

The answers to those questions are yes, and not if you eat the right foods.

It’s true that certain fitness experts like Bill Phillips, author of Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength, believe that jumping into an intense 20-minute aerobic workout first thing in the morning without having eaten will yield the greater effect on fat loss than an hour of cardio after having eaten. However, this doesn’t really mean that you’re losing more fat but rather, you’re using more of the fat from inside the muscles and not the fat from below the skin. Besides, exercising without fueling up is a moot point as any fats that aren’t oxidized completely will just end up being adipose tissue.

So yes, one has to eat before exercising. Eating something with carbohydrates keeps people from getting fatigued right away and helps maximize endurance. But even if you’re supposed to snack before your workout, choose what you eat carefully. In fact, here are some pre-workout snack tips:

1 Time your meal. The food you consume before exercising will only work for you once your body’s absorbed the nutrients. This depends on the type and amount of food you eat but a good rule of thumb is to either have a meal 3-4 hours before exercising orhave a lighter snack 1-2 hours before getting to your workout.

2 Go with low glycemic foods, simple sugars are a no-no. Though it’s fun to chomp on a candy bar, just have oatmeal or beans. These won’t cause blood sugar spikes and keep you satiated for a longer time.

3 Bananas = Power. Bananas are great because of their digestible carbohydrates. The potassium in these yellow fruits will also help maintain your body’s nerve and muscle function.

4 Craving something sweet? Since you’re not supposed to have simple sugars, satisfy your craving with a low-fat yogurt, fruit and fruit juice smoothie. This will set you up with carbs that break down fast enough so you get fueled up, and with proteins that will prevent muscle damage.

5 Drink water! People tend to perform better when they are satiated. This includes being hydrated whether with water or liquid meal supplements. Keeping a water bottle with you when exercising is also a good idea.

6 Win with protein. Okay, we’re cheating here. Protein is actually more important for post-workout snacking. Proteins can help your muscles recover and grow, so include lean meat or low fat milk in your meal, especially after something as strenuous as weight training.

Aside from these, there are still many ways to fuel up for your workout that are delicious, creative and won’t defeat your weight loss or fitness plans. The above tips are just so you can get your foot in the door. So, congratulations on deciding to get more exercise but always remember to keep yourself properly nourished!

Stephen Cole, a Fitness Camp Manager writes articles about health and fitness for WeightLossCamp.co.uk.

By: Unknown On 9:25 AM

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The Best Options To Consider Pertaining To Pre Workout Eating

You may have the necessary motivation required to go to the gym, however, you may also experience great problems in the gym in the form of an upset stomach, headache, and the body losing all its energy, thus no workout. Therefore, besides the motivation required to workout, the other thing that is necessary is pre workout food.

Most of the times the matter is taken lightly, however it is a crucial factor and if not handled appropriately it reduces the potential for workout in addition to making it ineffective. Therefore, a fitness enthusiast needs to focus on the pre workout foods. The lines below give the best options in this regard.

1. Low Fat Foods:

The reason why you need to opt for foods low in fat compared to the contrary option is because high fat foods are hard to digest, therefore, if you eat such foods before the workout, then chances are that your stomach will get upset by the time you start working out. On the other hand, low fat foods that offer 3g of fat against every 100calories are easily digested by the body, and the fats consumed serve as secondary source of energy for the body during the workout. Therefore, the next time you hit gym make sure that low fat food is in your stomach.

2.  Proteins and Carbs in Moderation:

Before understanding why you require protein and carbs in moderation, the need is to understand why you need them at the first place. The reason why both of these nutrients are required is because carbs supply energy while proteins help in muscle recovery thus the energetic workout and the lesser muscle soreness you feel is all because of protein and carbs. However, if you eat an excessive amount of protein or carb, it will become hard to digest for the body, therefore, during the workout you will remain upset and thus, cortisol (stress hormone) won’t let you take proper benefit from both of them. Therefore, consume them in moderation. If you can’t bring their intake to a moderate level from foods, then you can use the best rated preworkout supplement that will have the right amount of nutrients to help you in a good workout.

3. Snacks Low In Fiber:

Snacking is one of the best ways to provide nutrition to the body prior to workout. However, when snacking make sure that the snacks you eat are low in fiber content. The reason is that fiber makes you feel full, which most of the people mistakenly think of as the nutrition symptom referring to proper pre workout nutrition. However, other than making you full, fiber does not have any great role to play pertaining to workout, therefore, storing on fiber won’t lead you to a good workout, hence, the intake of fiber based snacks before the workout should be minimal.

4. Fluid Based Foods:

During the workout, you are bound to sweat and loose lots of water and minerals form the body, therefore, it is imperative that before the workout you consume foods that provide you proper hydration for the workout. So search for foods that are fluid rich to help you stay hydrated during the workout.

Conclusion:

In short, before the workout, you need to focus on foods that provide you a moderate quantity of carbs, proteins and keep you hydrated so that you enjoy an optimal workout session.

By: Unknown On 9:28 AM

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