Live Healthy
“Better health is more important than beauty and with better health comes beauty”
You can train to improve your fitness and your technique, but if you don’t have the energy to maintain a high level of effort, and recover afterwards, then you’re not likely to improve!
Some nutritional advice is specific to particular sports, but there are some basic concepts that apply to nearly every active person.
One of the most important concepts is making sure that you have diets that give enough fuel and proper hydration to get through the workouts. When you aren’t fuelled and hydrated you tend to perform poorly, and risk injury.
The timing of taking in food is also quite important. One aspect of timing is making sure not to eat immediately before a workout or activity ( which can cause stomach or intestinal distress), but not eat so far before a workout or competition that the peak energ y benefits of the food are lost.
Eating somewhere between one and three hours before physical activity is usually the best plan!
An often overlooked element of sports nutrition is proper postworkout fuelling and hydration. After long or strenuous workouts and activities there is a relatively short window of time in which your body is most receptive to refuelling. A good rule of thumb is that you should consume a small snack or meal of roughly 200- 500 calories within the first 60 minutes of completing your activity.
If it’s most convenient for you, feel free to explore any of the commercially available post workout and recovery drinks. But don’t forget about “real” foods for your post workout meals. Just about anything with protein and carbohydrates ( but not high in fat) makes an ideal meal; a peanut butter sandwich or even a large glass of chocolate skim milk can do the trick.
Many of you, are extremely cautious the weight is concerned. But being lighter or reduction of weight must not come at the expense of your health. It’s vitally important to make sure that the nutrition plan for anyone keeps you healthy and happy.
You will have many social pressures that will affect their ability to stick to a suitable diet and nutrition plan. For example, while friends might be going out for soda or fast food, you must make sure to stick to the plan and avoid the foods and drinks that aren’t going to help you perform or train better. It’s easy and you should anticipate these situations and figure out how you’re going to handle them.
Your body’s ability to rebuild glycogen and protein is enhanced after you exercise. Even before a workout you need to be conscious of the nutrients taken in but this week we focus on post- workout which is more important.
For this reason, it’s recommended that you consume a combination of carbs and protein as soon as possible after exercising.
Consuming 0.5– 0.7 grams of carbs per pound ( 1.1– 1.5 grams/ kg) of body weight within 30 minutes after training results in proper glycogen re- synthesis.
Furthermore, insulin secretion, which promotes glycogen synthesis, is better stimulated when carbs and protein are consumed at the same time.
Try consuming the two in a ratio of 3: 1 ( carbs to protein). For example, 40 grams of protein and 120 grams of carbs.
Although the timing does not need to be exact, many experts recommend eating your post- workout meal within 45 minutes.
In fact, it’s believed that the delay of carb consumption by as little as two hours after a workout may lead to as much as 50% lower rates of glycogen synthesis.
However, if you consumed a meal before exercising, it’s likely that the benefits from that meal still apply after training. Eat your post- workout meal within 45 minutes of exercising. However, you can extend this period a little longer, depending on the timing of your pre- workout meal.
The primary goal of your postworkout meal is to supply your body with the right nutrients for adequate recovery and to maximize the benefits of your workout.
Choosing easily digested foods will promote faster nutrient absorption.
The following lists contain examples of simple and easily digested foods:
Sweet potatoes Chocolate milk
Quinoa
Fruits ( pineapple, ber ries, banana, kiwi)
Rice cakes
Rice
Oatmeal
Potatoes
Pasta
Dark, leafy green vegetables
Animal- or plant- based protein powder
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
Salmon
Chicken
Protein bar
Tuna
Avocado
Nuts
Nut butters
Trail mix ( dried fruits and nuts) Sample Post- Workout Meals Grilled chicken with roasted vegetables.
Egg omelette with avocado spread on toast.
Salmon with sweet potato. Tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread.
Tuna and crackers. Oatmeal, whey protein, banana and almonds.
Cottage cheese and fruits. Pita and hummus.
Rice crackers and peanut butter. Whole grain toast and almond butter.
Cereal and skim milk.
Greek yogurt, berries and granola. Protein shake and banana. Multi- grain bread and raw peanuts.
Next Week Nutrition before a workout and much more!
Guidance by: Fitness and Training Instructor – Akila Fernando Written by Devuni Goonewardene – email devuni@ gmail.com