Exercising is essential for maintaining good health. But you also need to eat well when following an exercise regime so your body will be maintained properly . It's important to know how to eat correctly before and after your exercise sessions for the most positive effect of the food on your body. Here is a guide to help you learn the way you should eat whenever you're following an exercise regime.
Pre Workout Meal
Whether you're performing a cardio workout (running or walking) or a resistance workout (weight lifting or push ups) you would need a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrates. The amount you need to consume will be determined by the type of exercise (cardio or resistance) and the intensity level of the workout. It's best to eat your meal one hour before you workout. If your workout will be on a low intensity level you should keep your pre workout meal down to around 200 calories. If you plan to workout at a high level of intensity, you will need your food intake to be around 4,000 to 5,000 calories.
In respect to proportion, a cardio workout session would require an intake of a mix of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein. Doing so will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs, and consuming enough protein will keep your muscle from breaking down while you exercise. When it comes to your resistance exercise, you should eat a mix of 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein. This will provide you with plenty of energy from the carbs to perform your sets and the extra protein will help keep muscle tearing to a minimum while you carryout your exercise.
Post Workout Meal
Your meal after you exercise is equally important as your pre workout meal. Whenever you exercise you deplete energy in the form of glycogen. This is caused by both cardio and resistance exercise. The brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as their main source of fuel. If you fail to replace the glycogen you used up during your exercise session what will happen is that your body will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, and then convert them into fuel to be used by the brain and the central nervous system.
Muscle tissues break down during resistance exercise by creating micro tears. After a resistance workout your muscle will start repairing itself. Protein is needed for aiding in muscle recovery and repair. It's important to note that resistance exercise leads to muscle growth and strength because each time the muscles are broken down and repaired they grow bigger and stronger. you should wait up to about 30 minutes before you eat after completing a resistance exercise session. This is because you need to give your body a little time to get enough blood flow to the muscles to start repairing properly.
After completing a cardio workout session you'll need to consume lots of carbohydrates. 30 - 50 grams per meal is good. Choose the fiber types of carbs wherever possible such as whole wheat bread, brown rice and oatmeal. You should eat your meal between 5 - 10 minutes after your cardio exercise session.
