Knowing how to fuel your body for optimal performance is vital if you are serious about working out regularly and reaching your fitness goals. This means you must take a fresh look at what you eat and how to eat it before and after your workout sessions.
Kounsel Live hosted Nick Padula to talk about fueling your body correctly and getting the most out of your workouts. This conversation is essential because what and when you eat is critical to your workout's performance and significantly impacts how your body utilizes the calories you consume.
If you follow these proven tips for healthy nutrition, you'll be well-prepared for your next cardio, pilates, or workout on the stairs workout session.
What is exercise?
Exercise is any physical activity that raises your heart rate above regular resting. Often, these physical activities increase the physical intensity more than your normal daily activities. Most people use regular physical activity, like a brisk walk or a high-intensity workout like an uphill bike ride or weight training, to improve their health and well-being by increasing their heart rate and strengthening their muscles.
While exercising, your body uses a form of energy known as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is sourced from the foods you eat, mainly carbohydrates and fat.
The longer the intensity and time of exercise, the more ATP your body uses. When your ATP is low, your body is fatigued, and you find it challenging to keep up with exercising.
Carbohydrates as fuel for the body
Carbohydrates are not your enemy. In fact, they are the best source of fuel for the body and essential for sustaining life. If you are not eating carbs, you will enter a fog where you feel lethargic and dehydrated.
Carbs help the body hydrate the cells. It moves water into the cells, and carbs are broken down into fuel. A study recommends that carbs account for 50-60% of daily calories for people who exercise. So, if you do high-intensity workout sessions or exercise for a long time, you should add healthy, complex carbs to your plate.
Sources of complex carbs include fruits, vegetables, and grains. Complex carbs are vital for your body's post-workout recovery because you might experience a drop in your blood sugar during workouts. When this happens, you are at risk of a muscle breakdown, which can be averted by fueling your body with healthy complex carbs.
How fats fuel the body
To get the most from your workout sessions, you must incorporate healthy fat into your diet. This is especially true if your workout sessions contain more extended, slower, lower-intensity activities like cycling and walking.
Fat is the primary fuel source during long-term, low- to moderate-intensity exercise like running. Although carbohydrates are the primary fuel source during high-intensity exercise, the body still relies on fat to help it access stored carbs.
However, you must pay attention to the timing and amount of fat you eat. You should avoid foods high in fat before or during intense workout sessions. That is because the body breaks down fat slowly, so you would have completed your exercise before the fat is converted to energy. Secondly, you may experience gastrointestinal problems like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea if you eat fatty foods before or during a workout.
How to fuel your body with protein
Proteins are great for building lean muscle mass. It is also helpful for building, maintaining, and repairing body tissues.
The amount of protein you require depends on your weight and the exercise you engage in. Getting 15 to 20% of one's daily calories from protein is what the American College of Sports Medicine recommends.
If you want to build lean muscle mass, you may need to eat more protein than those who are only doing endurance exercises. A study in Nutrition and Metabolism found that eating protein more often throughout the day boosts muscle growth. This might imply increasing the protein in the breakfast, which for many individuals is a low-protein meal, and reducing protein intake at dinner.
Another factor that determines your daily protein intake is your workout goal. If you want to lose weight, tone your muscles, or improve muscle growth, the recommended daily protein intake is 20 grams of complete protein. This should be taken immediately after a workout session. Milk and whey proteins are excellent sources of fast-digesting and quick-absorbing protein.
What to eat before, during, and after a workout session
Many people struggle with whether or not they should eat something before working out, especially if they work out first thing in the morning, right after waking up.
Although little evidence supports the need to eat before short-duration exercise, eating before long-hour workouts is better. Some high-level athletes find that eating before training is critical for improved performance.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Before exercising: An ideal mix of beneficial carbohydrates, fats, and protein will help you get ready 1-2 hours before your workout session.
- During your workout, you don't have to eat carbohydrates during exercises that last less than 30 minutes. If your training is more than an hour, eat 30-60g of carbohydrates every hour to replenish your ATP and avoid fatigue. This can be a fruit or a Gatorade.
- After exercising: Be sure to eat carbohydrates and complete protein within 30 minutes of completing your exercise. This helps with fuel recovery and sustaining hardworking bodies after an intense workout. Real food like a sandwich is best; however, you can drink a protein shake or whey protein as a supplement.
About Nick Padula
Nick Padula has been a practicing Registered Dietitian for years. His goal is to help others become the best versions of themselves with the help of a proper diet. You can connect with Nick on the Kounsel app.
