What you take into your body before you put yourself through a routine is absolutely critical to the energy you will require. Plus, what you take into your body is also critical for how you will feel while your going through your routine. If you just eat whatever before your workout without giving any thought to it, you are going to have problems.
Here are 3 specific nutritional and eating guidelines for a pre-workout session:
1. Drink about 8 ounces of water 2 hours before you exercise!
These 2 hours give your kidneys time to rid your body of any excess fluid, which helps offset sweat loss during your workout.
2. Eat 2 to 2.5 hours before your workout!
This is to ensure your body maintains proper blood sugar levels for energy stability. Choose high-carb foods that are low on the glycemic index, such as whole grain bread or crackers, or even a health food bar. Try to aim for 600 to 1000 calories for this meal. This amount of calories should supply you with plenty of energy for your workout without making you feel sluggish.
3. Completely avoid highly processed sugars and foods that contain saturated fats before you exercise!
The highly processed sugary foods will make your blood sugar levels unstable, and the saturated fatty foods will bog you down. It takes energy to digest food, and one of the types of foods that takes the most energy is foods that are loaded with saturated fat! You want to use energy for your workout, not to digest all that heavy food.
Conclusion
Your body needs proper fuel to keep your heart pumping, and to give you the endurance you need to keep going.
Eating smart before your workout, particularly food that supply the proper types of carbohydrates, will provide a host of benefits. Your muscles will receive the nutrients you'll need to help maximize the results of your workout, and your brain will remain stable with proper blood sugar levels. If you have ever stopped exercising or working out because you felt weak, dizzy, or nauseated, it's simply because you didn't prepare yourself for what you were about to do.
In order to accommodate your workout schedule, and to get the most from your workout efforts, you will certainly need to take better care in planning your eating before hand.
When you are planning to work out you need to ensure that the meal you eat before going to the gym gives you the nutrients to battle the weights effectively.
The meal you eat before working out must accomplish three things: 1. Making you as strong as possible. 2. During the workout you should provide your mind and muscles with a constant stream of balanced energy. 3. You will be minimizing the muscle breakdown process in addition to providing the necessary tools to help your body recvover post-workout.
The first thing to make sure of is that you are properly hydrated before beginning your workout. Water plays a vital role in keeping strength and energy levels peaked, so always ensure that you've consumed an adequate amount of water in the few hours before you train.
Around 30-45 minutes prior to entering the gym you should consume your pre-workout meal. The first component of this meal is, you guessed it, protein. Protein will keep your body in an anabolic state throughout your workout and will help to prevent muscle breakdown as you train.
In order to prevent muscle catabolism, consuming Whey protein before exercise is a wise choice. It is suggested that you mix your whey protein with milk, for it will help to slow down the speed at which the protein is released which will give your body a steady flow of amino acids through the course of your workout.
Along with your protein shake you should also consume 1-2 portions of low-glycemic carbohydrates. Low glycemic carbohydrates are ideal before the workout because they are broken down and absorbed gradually in the bloodstream, providing your body with a steady stream of energy throughout your workout.
When you consume sugary food, it is immediately released into your bloodstream so your body releases a surge of insulin in order to keep your sugar level in check. choose carbohydrates that won't cause this rapid fluctuation in insulin levels so that the last thing you want in the middle of a high intensity workout.
Pre-workout carbs, such as oatmeal, apples, or brown rice, will keep your energy high throughout the workout by providing your body with a stream of sugars. When you are in training, it is important to eat a small meal prior to your session to allow for easy digestion as well as preventing sickness. It is not a good idea to work out without eating beforehand.
Both Dnb700 & Ricardo D Argence are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dnb700 has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness. Daniel N. Brown is a natural health advocate! Subscribe to his Free Natural Health & Nutrition e-Letter and get his Free Special Report,