era health

Eating Before and After Exercise

Posted: 09 Dec 2011 10:24 PM PST

  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.

Eating And Exercise

Posted: 09 Dec 2011 07:59 PM PST

Anytime you exercise, you do so in order to try and maintain good health. You also know that you have to eat as well, so your body will have the energy it needs to exercise and maintain for the everyday tasks of life..  For making the best of your exercise, what you eat before and after you workout is very important. 


No matter if you are going to be doing a cardio  workout or a resistance workout, you should always make it a point to eat a balanced mix of protein and carbohydrates.  What makes that determining percentage of carbs and
protein you consume is whether or not you are doing cardio or resistance exercise and the intensity level that you plan to work at. 


The ideal time for you to eat your pre workout meal is an hour before you start.  If you plan to work at a low intensity level, you should keep your pre workout meal down to 200 calories or so.  If you plan to exercise at a high level of intensity, you will probably need your meal to be between 4,000  and 5,000 calories. 


Those of you who are doing a cardio session will need to consume a mix of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein. Doing so will give you longer sustained energy from the extra carbs with enough protein to keep your muscle from breaking down while you exercise. 


For resistance exercise, you'll need to eat a mix of 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will help you get plenty of energy from the carbs to perform each set you do and the extra protein will help keep muscle breakdown to a minimum while you  exercise.   


Eating after you exercise is just as important as your pre workout meal.  Anytime you exercise, whether its cardio or resistance, you deplete energy in the form of glycogen.  The brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as their main  source of fuel, so if you don't replace it after you exercise, your body will begin to break down muscle tissue into amino acids, and then convert them into usable fuel for the brain and the  central nervous system. 


Keep in mind that mostly during resistance exercise, you'll break down muscle tissue by  creating micro tears.  What this means, is that after a workout, your muscles will instantly go into repair mode.  Protein is the key here for muscle repair, as you don't want muscle breaking down even further to create fuel instead of lost glycogen. 


Once you have finished a cardio session, you'll need to consume mainly carbohydrates, preferably those with high fiber.  Rice, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, and northern fruits are excellent sources. 


Also, try to consume 30 - 50 grams of there types of carbs after you exercise.  After your cardio workout, it is fine to eat within 5 - 10 minutes. 


Once you've finished a resistance workout, you will need to consume a combination of carbs and protein.  Unlike cardio workouts, resistance workouts will break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. 


You'll need protein as this happens to build up and repair these tears so that the muscle can increase in size and strength.  The carbs will not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but  will also help the protein get into muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or the muscle itself. 


After your resistance exercise, you should wait up to 30 minutes before you eat, so that you won't take blood away from your muscles too fast.  The blood in your muscles will help the repair process by removing the metabolic waste products.

health tips blog