Eating Before and After Exercise

By: Jim O'Neill

When you exercise, you do it in order to try to maintain good
health. You know that you have to eat so that your body has the
energy to perform the workouts that you do as well as for
everyday tasks. But, just what you should eat before and after
you workouts is important for making the best of your workouts.
Also, how long you eat before and after each workout is equally
important.

Whether you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a
resistance workout, you should try to make it a point to eat a
mix of carbohydrates and protein. What determines the percentage
of carbohydrates and protein you should consume is whether you
are doing cardio or resistance and the intensity level you will
be working at.

The ideal time to eat your pre workout meal is 1 hour before
you start. If you are working at a lower intensity level, keep
this meal down to around 200 calories or so. If you are working
at a higher intensity level, you may need this meal to be as
high as 400 to 500 calories.

If you are doing a cardio session, you will need to eat a mix
of around 2/3 carbohydrates and 1/3 protein. This will give you
longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein
to keep muscle from breaking down during your workout.

If you are doing a resistance session, you should eat a mix of
around 1/3 carbohydrates and 2/3 protein. This will give you
enough energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the
extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum
during your workout. It has been shown that your body most
effectively uses protein during exertion meaning that taking in
more protein before resistance workouts aids in faster recovery
as well.

Now, eating after a workout is just as important as the pre
workout meal. Remember that when you exercise whether it is a
cardio or a resistance session, you deplete energy in the form
of glycogen. Our brain and central nervous system relies on
glycogen as their main source of fuel so if we don't replace it
after exercise, our bodies will begin to break down muscle
tissue into amino acids, then convert them into usable fuel for
the brain and central nervous system.

Also, mostly during resistance workouts, you break down muscle
tissue by creating micro tears. This means that right after a
workout; your muscles go into a repair mode. Proteins are the
key macronutrient for muscle repair and so you don't want muscle
breaking down further to create fuel in place of lost glycogen.

If you have just finished a cardio session, you will need to
consume mostly carbohydrates, preferably ones with high fiber.
Oatmeal, rice, whole wheat pasta, and most northern fruits are
good sources. Try to consume around 30 to 50 grams of these
carbohydrates after a cardio session. After cardio, it is ok to
eat within 5 to 10 minutes of completion.

If you have just finished a resistance session, you will need a
combination of carbohydrates and protein. Because unlike cardio
workouts, with resistance workouts you are breaking down muscle
tissue by creating micro tears. The protein is needed to build
up and repair these tears so the muscle can increase in size and
strength. The carbs not only replace the lost muscle glycogen,
but also help the protein get into our muscle cells so it can
synthesize into structural protein, or muscle itself.

Chicken or fish with a potato, egg whites with a piece of
fruit, or a protein shake with fruit mixed in are good meals
after resistance workouts but remember to keep the fiber low
here. High fiber slows down digestion, meaning the protein will
take longer to reach the muscle cells.

After resistance, it is recommended to wait 30 minutes before
eating so as not to take blood away from your muscles too soon.
The blood in your muscles helps with the repair process by
removing metabolic waste products from them.

Any fats should be consumed well before and well after exercise.



Jim O'Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the
subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy
for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7
part mini e-course at: www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php



About the author:
Jim O'Neill is a certified personal fitness trainer and also
holds a sports nutrition certification. He has been helping
people successfully achieve their weight loss and fitness goals
for over 15 years by staying on the cutting edge of weight loss
and fitness technology. To learn more about how you can benefit
from his easy to use weight loss and fitness programs go to:
www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php