Should You Eat Before or After Your Workout
Recently in the gym, I overheard a conversation between a personal trainer and their client. The client asked their trainer if she should eat before or after her training sessions, the trainer advised her AFTER not before!!!
I honestly wanted to march over and tell the client to fire her trainer and obtain a qualified trainer that knows that eating before training is essential!!!
Imagine this, you get in your car, you turn the ignition, nothing happens, you turn again still nothing.. Then you realize you’re out of gas!!
This may seem like a silly analogy but food to your body prior to exercising is the same as gas in your tank..YOU NEED IT TO GO!!
Now with that being said here are the reasons why eating prior to your work out is important.
If you start your training session on an empty stomach, you’re doing your body an injustice. Not only will you not have sufficient energy to complete your workout, but also you can cause muscle loss, which slows, down your metabolism, which in turn stalls your weight loss goals
Your body normally looks for protein in your liver and kidney where they are stored. If there’s no food there, then your body will have to obtain the food they need from your muscles.
Prior to working out, you should aim to have a small meal about 60-90 minutes prior to your workout. Your meal should consist of complex carbohydrates and protein. Examples include fruits, veggies and/or oatmeal.
Now if you’re training first thing in the morning, of course this may be a challenge. In this case a smoothie with fruits is a great option.
You’ve eaten prior to your workout; do you still need to eat after? YES you do.
During your training session, your body has used the fuel you gave it, which means you now have to replenish it. Having a meal with protein and carbohydrates within 60-120 minutes after you workout is best to ensure your muscles receive the nutrients for rest and recovery.
Some of the best foods to have after your training session, which will help in weight loss and recovery, are chicken, salmon, vegetables, sweet potatoes and eggs.
There you have it , eating before and after your workouts are both important for your health and fitness goals. Neglecting one or the other will not allow you to yield the best results. Food is fuel for your body to function optimally.
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