Pre and Post Workout 101 Nutrition
One of the most questions asked for sport dietitian: "What should I eat before and after a workout?"
Most often the answer depends on the athlete and what type of activity is perceiving. In general there are common rules to follow regard pre and post work out nutrition.
Fuel on carbs Pre-workout
During exercise the primary fuel for the body is carbohydrates and fat. Protein is served as a secondary fuel. As the fat requires more O2 than Carbohydrates to be metabolized, Carbohydrates come first in fueling your work out. Depending on high carbs diet pre-workout will spare the glycogen storage and prevent the quicker depletion of the storage.
Ideally, you should fuel your body about 1 to 3 hours pre-workout depending on how your body tolerates foods. Experiment and see what time frame works for you best.
Some suggestions for pre-workout fuel:
A peanut butter and banana or peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Greek yogurt with berries
Oatmeal with low-fat milk and fruit
Apple and peanut or among butter
Handful of nuts and raisins
Note that these suggestion include an amount of protein too. Protein is what repairs and rebuilds, but also "primes the pump" for producing the right amino acids for the muscles.
Depend on protein Post-workout
As soon as possible after your workout, and within about 15- 20 min of completing intense workout session, get carbs and protein into your body to give your muscles the ability to replenish the glycogen they lost during the exercise and helps the tired muscles rebuild and repair with adequate protein and amino acids available.
Some quick meals suggestions for Post-workout:
Preprepared smoothie made with low-fat milk and fruit
Low fat chocolate milk
Turkey on a whole-grain wrap with veggies
grilled chicken along sautéed veggies
Lastly, it is equally important to not forgetting to have adequate fluid in your body always specially during intense workout to avoid dehydration status and maintain the hemostatis of electrolytes balance in the body.
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