How To Eat The Right Food For Exercise.
Eating the Right Foods for Exercise
Exercise is just half the battle. This is a common phrase that should be taken seriously if you want to make real health gains. As part of my Burberry Fitness home personal training packages, I provide nutritional advice and guidance to help keep you on track to achieving your goals while avoiding fad diets that are unsustainable and counterproductive to getting fitter.
I love food. I worked in the event catering industry for 12 years and I am a keen home chef. Food is a big part of life and should be fun and enjoyed. Small changes, however, can make your eating experience more enjoyable, improve your mood and energy levels and increase athletic performance.
Eating a well-balanced diet can help you get the calories and nutrients you need to fuel your daily activities, including regular exercise.
When it comes to eating foods to fuel your exercise performance, it’s not as simple as choosing vegetables over doughnuts. You need to eat the right types of food at the right times of the day.
Get off to a good start
Your first meal of the day is an important one.
Eating breakfast regularly has been linked to a lower risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Starting your day with a healthy meal can help replenish your blood sugar, which your body needs to power your muscles and brain.
Eating a healthy breakfast is especially important on days when exercise is on your agenda. Skipping breakfast can leave you feeling lightheaded or lethargic while you’re working out.
Choosing the right kind of breakfast is crucial. Too many people rely on simple carbohydrates to start their day. A plain white bagel or toast won’t keep you feeling full for long.
In comparison, a fiber- and protein-rich breakfast may fend off hunger pangs for longer and provide the energy you need to keep your exercise going.
Follow these tips for eating a healthy breakfast:
Instead of eating sugar-laden cereals made from refined grains, try oatmeal, oat bran, or other whole-grain cereals that are high in fiber. Then, throw in some protein, such as milk, yogurt, or chopped nuts.
If you’re making pancakes, replace some of the all-purpose flour with whole-grain options. Then, stir some cottage cheese into the batter.
If you prefer toast, choose whole-grain bread. Then pair it with an egg, peanut butter, or another protein source.
Count on the right carbohydrates
Thanks to low-carb fad diets, carbohydrates have gotten a bad reputation. But carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy. About 45 to 65 percent of your total daily calories should come from carbohydrates. This is especially true if you exercise.
Consuming the right kind of carbohydrates is important. Many people rely on the simple carbs found in sweets and processed foods. Instead, you should focus on eating the complex carbs found in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans.
Whole grains have more staying power than refined grains because you digest them more slowly.
They can help you feel full for longer and fuel your body throughout the day. They can also help stabilise your blood sugar levels. Finally, these quality grains have the vitamins and minerals you need to keep your body running at its best.
Pack protein into your snacks and meals
Protein is needed to help keep your body growing, maintained, and repaired. Protein is also essential for building and repairing muscles, helping you enjoy the benefits of your workout. It can be a source of energy when carbohydrates are in short supply, but it’s not a major source of fuel during exercise.
Adults need to eat about 0.8 grams of protein per day for every kilogram of their body weight. If you exercise regularly, you should be consuming more than this with 2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight recommended if you want to increase your muscle mass through weight training.
Protein can come from:
poultry, such as chicken and turkey
red meat, such as beef and lamb
fish, such as salmon and tuna
dairy, such as milk and yogurt
legumes, such as beans and lentils
eggs
Supplements such as whey protein
For the healthiest options, choose lean proteins that are low in saturated and trans fats. Limit the amount of red meat and processed meats that you eat.
Boost your fruit and vegetable intake
Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of natural fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other compounds that your body needs to function properly. They’re also low in calories and fat.
Aim to fill half your plate with fruits and veggies at every meal.
Try to “eat the rainbow” by choosing fruits and veggies of different colors. This will help you enjoy the full range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Every time you go to the supermarket, consider choosing a new fruit or vegetable to try. For snacks, keep dried fruits in your workout bag and raw veggies in the fridge.
Choose healthy fats
Unsaturated fats help reduce inflammation and provide calories.
While fat is a primary fuel for aerobic exercise, we have plenty stored in the body to fuel even the longest workouts. However, getting healthy unsaturated fats helps to provide essential fatty acids and calories to keep you moving.
Healthy options include:
nuts
seeds
avocados
olives
oils, such as olive oil
Fuel up before exercise
When it comes to fueling up before or after a workout, it’s important to achieve the right balance of carbs and protein. Pre-workout snacks that combine carbohydrates with protein can make you feel more energised than junk foods made from simple sugars and lots of fat.
Consider stocking your workout bag and refrigerator with some of these simple snacks:
Bananas
Bananas are full of potassium and magnesium, which are important nutrients to get on a daily basis. Eating a banana can help replenish these minerals while providing natural sugars to fuel your workout. For added protein, enjoy your banana with a serving of peanut butter.
Berries, grapes, and oranges
These fruits are all full of vitamins, minerals, and water. They’re easy on your intestines, give you a quick boost of energy, and help you stay hydrated. Consider pairing them with a serving of yogurt for protein.
Nuts
Nuts are a great source of heart-healthy fats and also provide protein and essential nutrients. They can give you a source of sustained energy for your workout.
Pair them with fresh or dried fruit for a healthy dose of carbohydrates. However, test these options to see how they settle. High-fat foods can slow digestion, and they may make food sit in your stomach too long if your workout is coming up quickly.
Nut butter
Nut butters are delicious so you can go overboard if you are not careful. Inmoderation they provide a great source of healthy fats, protein and nutrients.
For a tasty protein-carbohydrate combo, you can spread peanut butter on:
an apple
a banana
whole-grain crackers
a slice of whole-grain bread
If you don’t like peanut butter, try almond butter, soy butter, or other protein-rich alternatives.
Use food to aid recovery
Consuming the right nutrients after exercise can help you optimize your fitness goals.
During exercise, your muscles use up glycogen, which is the body’s preferred fuel source. This results in your muscles being partially depleted of glycogen. Some of the proteins in your muscles can also be broken down and damaged during exercise.
After your workout, your body rebuilds glycogen stores and regrows those muscle proteins.
Eating the right nutrients soon after exercising can help your body do this faster. Properly fuelling your body after exercise can also help:
decrease muscle protein breakdown
increase muscle protein synthesis (growth)
improve your mood
enhance recovery
Macronutrients are a group of nutrients your body needs in large quantities to provide the necessary energy it needs to function.
The three macronutrients are protein, carbs, and fat. These each play a role in your body’s post-workout recovery process.
Protein helps repair and build muscle
Exercise triggers the breakdown of muscle protein. The rate at which this happens depends on several factors, such as training volume, intensity, and frequency.
Consuming an adequate amount of protein throughout the day gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild these proteins. It also gives you the building blocks required to build new muscle tissue.
If you are specifically aiming to build muscle, you should consume high quality protein within the first 2 hours after working out to stimulate the building blocks for new muscle tissue.
Protein supplements such as whey protein shakes are perfect for this.
Carbs help with recovery
Your body’s glycogen stores are used as fuel during exercise, and consuming carbs after your workout helps replenish them.
The rate at which your glycogen stores are used depends on the activity.
For example, endurance sports cause your body to use more glycogen than resistance training. For this reason, if you participate in endurance sports like cycling and running, you might need to consume more carbs than someone engaging in weightlifting.
The timing of your post-workout meal matters
The timing of your meals is important to maximise recovery and muscle growth because your body’s ability to rebuild glycogen and protein is enhanced after exercise.
Sports nutrition researchers have been studying nutrient timing for more than 40 years.
In the past, experts recommended eating your post-workout meal within 45 to 60 minutes. It was believed that delaying carb consumption by as little as 2 hours after a workout could lead to as much as 50% lower rates of glycogen synthesis.
However, more recent research suggests the post-exercise window to maximize the muscular response to eating protein is wider than initially thought, up to as many as several hours.
Consuming a meal rich in whole carbs and protein before exercising may also increase your post-workout food intake window, as you may still feel some of the benefits of the pre-workout meal.
Make sure to drink plenty of water
Staying properly hydrated before and after your workout ensures the optimal internal environment for your body to maximize results.
During exercise, you lose water and electrolytes through sweat. Replenishing these after a workout can help with recovery, performance, and injury prevention.
The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) recommends drinking 500 to 600 ml of water within 2 to 3 hours before exercising, and 200 to 300 ml within 10 to 20 minutes of exercising.
After exercising, the NATA recommends re-filling what you lost during your workout.
Don’t cut too many calories
If you’re trying to lose weight or tone your body, you may be tempted to cut a ton of calories from your meals. Cutting calories is a key part of weight loss, but it’s possible to go too far.
Weight loss diets should never leave you feeling exhausted or ill. Those are signs that you’re not getting the calories you need for good health and fitness.
Burberry Fitness can work with you to set a calorie intake level that is personalised to your body and based on your goals and lifestyle.
If you’re very active or you don’t want to lose weight while getting fit, surprisingly you may need to eat more calories, and this will be why you have plateaued in your training.
Balance is key
I want my clients to love food, not avoid it. It should be a source of pleasure, not guilt. This can be a difficult balance and requires knowledge, discipline and consistency. My weekly online check-in will bring that accountability into your life and help you make real long-lasting changes that will leave you feeling amazing.
As you settle into an active lifestyle, you’ll probably discover which foods give you the most energy and which have negative effects. The key is learning to listen to your body and balancing what feels right with what’s good for you.
Follow these tips:
Aim to make breakfast a part of your routine.
Choose complex carbohydrates, lean protein sources, healthy fats, and a wide variety of fruits and veggies.
Stock your fridge and gym bag with healthy workout snacks.
The right balance of carbohydrates, protein, and other nutrients can help fuel your exercise routine.
Be sure to eat a high protein meal post workout to aid recovery.
Drink lots of water!
Contact Burberry Fitness now for nutritional advice and guidance as part of your home personal training programme.