Exercise has always been associated with diet planning and weight loss. Planning a diet never means skipping one. Food keeps you going and what you eat eventually fuels your body when you exercise. You have variety of foods to choose from these days. There are so many products advertised for all those who exercise. How do you know what should you eat before, during, or after exercise? Whether you exercise once in a week or on all days, you should know what is okay to eat and what not. Here are some tips that will let you know what is good for you when you exercise:
1. Eat healthy before exercise
Before exercise, always eat carbohydrates like cereals, bread, pasta, etc. that give instant energy to your body. Moreover, you can also have some healthy fats or proteins. You need to maintain healthy muscles for exercising, which is why proteins are a must too. Lot of fat and fiber can be slow to digest and thus create discomfort during exercise.
2. Avoid fried food before exercise
Do not barge on deep fried foods like potato wedges, French fries, extra cheese burgers, etc. You should instead have low fat, low fiber food. Have carbohydrates and proteins in moderation along with fluids in your meal before exercise.
3. Drinking fluids is a must
When you exercise, you keep loosing your body’s fluids. Therefore, it is important to keep you hydrated. Have plenty of fluids before exercise. It also helps in keeping your body’s temperature under control. Drink at least 16 ounces of water two hours before exercise.
4. Water or sports drink?
Water keeps your body hydrated when you perform mild exercises. For all those who do strenuous exercise for more than one hour, you need to have sports drinks as well. Sports drinks have sodium and carbohydrate content, which are essential when you sweat a lot. The depleted sodium and carbohydrate levels can be upgraded with sports drinks. Water alone is not sufficient in humid conditions for those who do intense exercises.
5. Do not go empty stomach in morning for exercise
When you get up in the morning, you have been fasting overnight without having any thing in stomach. If you are planning just a walk, then a glass of water is all right. But, if you go for a longer exercise, you need to have some light carbohydrates, some fruit, and a glass of water. It will give your body instant boost of carbohydrate store.
6. Eat a high protein diet coupled with exercise
In order to build muscles, eat small amounts of proteins after resistance exercises. Continue doing the weight training and after each round have some proteins. Proteins provide the essential raw material for building muscles and exercise enables the material to be pulled into muscles. Right after exercise, you can have the required amount of proteins so that your muscles are fueled for repair and growth.
7. Choosing between protein food and protein drinks
After exercise, muscles need repair and growth. Proteins are the essential building blocks. Charging your body instantly with 10-20 grams of protein after exercise gives your muscles what they need for recovery and growth. Whatever the source, be it protein shakes or boiled egg, it doesn’t make a difference. Go ahead and have the required protein amount.
8. Choosing the ideal sports drink and energy bar
For people who do exercises for weight loss, sports drink is not the desired drink. Lighter drinks will do. People who do intense and long exercises, sports drink can provide instant dose of carbohydrates and calories. When choosing a sports drink, take a look at the amount of carbohydrates. It should contain 14-15 grams of carbohydrates, 110 milligrams of sodium and 30 milligrams of potassium in eight ounces. Selecting an energy bar ideal for your needs is equally essential. Energy bars should be the ones with high calories. Before an intense exercise, these bars give you all those calories that you need. Check out for bars that have 5 grams of proteins, low fat content, and some carbohydrates too.
9. Using gels for exercise
Gels are carbohydrates that are in concentrated forms. Not necessarily meant for light exercisers, these remain usually helpful for long distance runners, cyclists. These fulfill the instant need for energy to keep you going through long periods of workout. Remember to have plenty of fluids when you use gels since they are concentrated.
10. Checking adequacy of nutrients and calories
Get your calorie and nutrient needs assessed by a registered dietician. You need to know how much exercise is needed, and how much calories your body needs during your exercise regimen.
11. Carbo loading: a useful strategy?
It is a useful strategy only for those who do intense exercises for more than 90 minutes. It is advised to have it under supervision of a sports dietitian. Since adequate carbohydrate intake is done during exercise in forms of drinks or gels, carbo loading is generally out of fashion these days.
2. Healthy food for kids during exercise
Kids do not require a high calorie food because they will not burn as much calories as we do. So, include fruits, nuts, whole grains in their snacks. Remember to keep it healthy and in small portions. You can give them orange or apple slices, fruit juices, sandwiches with peanut butter, boiled eggs etc.
13. Caffeine and exercise
Caffeine acts as a stimulant, but it is not suitable for all. It may have side effects like nausea, headaches for some. It is best to avoid intake before or after exercise.
14. Weight loss and exercise
You can cut calories by having low fat, high fiber foods in moderation. But you need to maintain a regular exercise pattern that can help you loose weight along with cutting calories.
Always keep in mind that you are an individual and what works best for you may not be suitable for others and vice versa. So, plan according to your body’s needs and adopt strategies that suit you well.