Eating For Your Workouts
Ihave to say, I love seeing workout posts on Social Media, and motivated Lagos residents have caught the workout bug while embracing healthier options in the kitchen. Quite a few of you have really stepped up their game with regular high intensity sessions, but one question keeps coming up in emails, what should I be eating after my workout? Everyone knows that athletes must plan and time their meals and snacks very carefully to reach their performance goals. But what about the rest of us? If you want to start to see real gains, then you have to step up your kitchen game around your workouts.
If you’re eating a healthy diet and getting enough calories to support your activity level, you can probably rely on your own appetite, energy levels, and experience to tell you whether you need to eat anything before or after exercise and what it should be. The basic rule here is: Find out what works best for you, and do that. There are some advantages to knowing how your body works and what it needs to perform at its best. The bottom line for healthy weight loss and fitness sounds simple: You have to eat fewer calories than you use up - but not fewer than your body needs to function at its best. I play a lot of basketball and how I perform is greatly influenced by my diet, including my recovery.
The size, timing, and content of your pre- and post-exercise meals and snacks can play an important role in your energy levels during your workout, how well your body recovers and rebuilds after your workout, and whether the calories you eat will be used as fuel or stored as fat.
Most moderate exercisers will lose about 4 cups of fluid per hour of exercise; so try to drink about 16-20 ounces of water shortly after your workout to aid the recovery process. If you sweat a lot or the weather is hot and/or humid, consider weighing yourself before and after exercise, and drinking an ounce of water for every ounce of weight you’ve lost. Because heavy sweating also causes loss of minerals and electrolytes, consider using a sports drink with electrolytes if you need to replace more than 2-3 cups of fluid. overall range for the day, you don’t need to be obsessive about matching the following calorie and nutrient ratios perfectly. Just be careful not to fall into the very common trap of thinking that it’s OK to eat anything and everything in sight because you just worked out. Many people are very hungry after a workout, making it easy to eat more than you really need, or choose foods that won’t really help your body. Eating too much of the wrong thing can do the opposite of what you want - cause your body to store that food as fat instead of using your post-workout food to refuel and repair your muscles.
Calories. Ideally, try to eat enough calories to equal 50% of the calories you burned during your workout. So if you burn about 600 calories during your workout, try to eat 300 calories afterward. Don’t worry about undoing the calorieburning benefits of your workout, that’s not how weight loss works. As long as you’re eating within your recommended calorie range (whether for weight loss or maintenance), you’ll be on your way to reaching your goals.
Carbohydrates. Roughly 60% of the calories you eat at this time should come from carbohydrates. Contrary to popular belief, your body needs more carbohydrates than protein after a workout, to replace the muscle fuel (glycogen) you used up and to prepare for your next exercise session. If you have some favorite high-carb foods that are lacking in the whole grains and fiber that are often recommended as part of a healthy diet, this is a good time to have them! Your body can digest refined carbohydrates faster during your “refueling window,” but if you’re a whole foods foodie, don’t force yourself to eat processed foods.
Protein. While carbs are essential, it’s also important to include some highquality protein in your post-workout meal or snack. This protein will stop your body from breaking down muscle tissue for energy and kick off the process of rebuilding and repairing your muscles. About 25% of the calories you eat after a workout should come from protein.
Fat. Fat doesn’t play a big role in postworkout recovery, and eating too much fat after a workout won’t help your weight control or fitness endeavors. Only 15% (or less) of your post-workout calories should come from fat, that’s less than 10 grams.
If your workouts are regular then the ideal time to eat after one is within 30 minutes to two hours, when your body is ready and waiting to top off its fuel tanks. But if your appetite or schedule doesn’t allow you to eat a meal right after your exercise session, don’t panic. Your body can still replace your muscle fuel over the next 24 hours, as long as you’re eating enough food to support your activity level. If you can, have a smaller snack that contains carbs and protein as soon after exercise as possible. Liquids like smoothies, shakes, or chocolate milk, and/or energy bars can be especially effective snacks after a workout.
Always pay attention to how you perform during your workouts in response to specific meals. January is almost done, it’s time to take intensity levels up a notch.