Title. Double click me.

Workout Nutrition to Fuel a Lean Strong Body

Pre-exercise nutrition needs.

What and when you eat before exercise can make a big difference to your performance and recovery. You not only want to fuel your workout but you need to have enough of the right types of food in your body to preserve muscle mass and speed recovery.

Strategy #1 - Protein before exercise.

Eating some lean protein, (dairy, meat, fish, chicken, protein powder) in the few hours before exercise:

Can help you maintain or even increase your muscle size. That’s important for anyone who wants to improve health, body composition, or performance.
Can reduce markers of muscle damage (myoglobin, creatine kinase, and myofibrillar protein degradation). Or at least prevent them from getting worse. (Carbohydrates or a placebo eaten before exercise don’t seem to do the same thing.) The less damage to your muscles, the faster you recover, and the better you adapt to your exercise over the long term.
Floods your bloodstream with amino acids just when your body needs them most. This boosts your muscle-building capabilities. So not only are you preventing damage, you’re increasing muscle size.

Strategy #2 – Carbs (fruits, veggies and healthy starches) before exercise.

Eating carbs before exercise:

Fuels your training and helps with recovery. It’s a popular misconception that you only need carbs if you’re engaging in a long (more than two hour) bout of endurance exercise. In reality, carbs can also enhance shorter term (one hour) high-intensity training. So unless you’re just going for a quiet stroll, ensuring that you have some carbs in your system will improve high intensity performance.
Preserves muscle and liver glycogen. This tells your brain that you are well fed, and helps increase muscle retention and growth.
Stimulates the release of insulin. When combined with protein, this improves protein synthesis and prevents protein breakdown. Another reason why a mixed meal is a great idea. No sugary carb drinks required.

Strategy #3 – Healthy Fats (olive oil, fish oil, avocado, nuts) before exercise:

Don’t appear to improve nor diminish sport performance. And they don’t seem to fuel performance — that’s what carbs are for.
Do help to slow digestion, which maintains blood glucose and insulin levels and keeps you on an even keel.
Provide some vitamins and minerals, and they’re important in everyone’s diet.

Pre-exercise nutrition in practice

If you work out late enough just eat a well-balanced meal 2-3 hours before exercise. If, however you are working out upon waking try these options that digest quickly:

A protein shake made with protein powder with some veggies and fruit and juts thrown and a low calorie milk or almond milk
Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts

During Exercise Nutrition Needs:

If you are only working out 30 – 120 minutes there is no need to fuel with anything but water and maybe an electrolyte drink, however if you are training for longer you will need to eat some protein and carbs during the workout to enhance performance. During-exercise nutrition needs.

For training that is longer than two hours, sports drinks can be a huge help. Every hour you’ll want to consume:

15 grams protein
30-45 grams carbs

This can come in the form of liquids, gels, or even some solid food.

Post-exercise Nutrition Needs.

Post-workout nutrition can help you recover, rehydrate, refuel, build muscle, and improve future performance.

Strategy #1 - Protein after exercise:

Eating protein after exercise prevents protein breakdown and stimulates synthesis, leading to increased or maintained muscle tissue. So it’s a great strategy for better recovery, adaptation, and performance.

Want fast and convenient? Make an awesome post-workout protein shake.
Want real food? Then make an awesome high-protein meal. Any high quality complete protein should do the job, as long as you eat enough. That means about 40-60 grams for men, and 20-30 grams for women.

Strategy #2 - Carbs after exercise:

Eating healthy carbs, (fruits, veggies and fiber rich starches) will restore our energy after a workout so while eating your protein throw some fruits and veggies into that shake OR add ½ cup brown rice and a veggie to that post workout meal.

Strategy #3 – Fats after Exercise:

Emerging research suggests that healthy fats eaten post exercise can actually increase the amount of available protein that we are eating. So use 2% milk in that protein shake and reduce the amount of milk OR drizzle some olive oil or add ¼ of an avocado to your meal.

Eating properly will keep you energized and create a lean fit body in no time!

Being the Best you can be During the Holidays and Any Day!

j01818
Nov 23, 2014
3 min read

Temptation - It looms on the horizon…waiting to lasso us into making unhealthy choices. Hanging there, making us do things that we know are not in our highest good. Whether it be a few too many holiday candies, a little extra wine at the office party, or stuffing ourselves with too many servings of our favorite meal. Temptation will always be with us; and I say “thank goodness”. Temptation is one of life’s miracles that shows us who we are.

Temptation proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that we hold the power. We hold the power day in and day out to choose who we are. We become, every day, who we are by the choices that we make. So how can we connect the choices we make with the person we want to be? How can we say no to temptation and stick with our health & fitness goals? Try putting into practice these 4 steps and watch yourself become the best you can be!

#1– Let your guard down.

Oh, now that’s a scary thought. Why in the world would you want to do that?!? To make choices that are in your highest good you need to stop trying to protect yourself from suspected put downs, barbs or insults from others. All of us, at one time or another, have experienced being ridiculed for our dreams, goals or our opinions, and it hurts. So we have a tendency to shield ourselves from hurt by shelving our dreams. But to truly live your highest life, able to avoid temptation, you must be willing to open up and express your highest desires and live them. So to complete this step, take 10 minutes every evening to journal your fears. What is the worst that could possibly happen if you truly aspired to live your highest life? Write about them until you are fully comfortable with them and can accept that living your highest life will have some losses and disappointments, but that the joy of becoming who you really want to be far outweighs the chances you will take.

#2 – Dream a little or a lot!

Now that you are brave and fearless (or maybe just more open and ready) use that 10 minutes each evening to journal your innermost desires. Begin with some quiet time with pen in hand, reflect on your day, and then open up the door to your innermost self. Anything that comes to mind write down. You might begin by simply writing the words, “What I want…” or “Who I really am is…” Give yourself plenty of time to get to know all about your innermost desires. And never stop performing this step as your desires and wants change as you become more of the person you are meant to be.

#3 – I am the power.

Now that you are unafraid (mostly), and you know what your want, it is time to develop your plan of action. Each evening use your 10 minutes to explore the Give and the Get. At the top of a piece of paper make 2 columns. Column 1 is the Give and column 2 is the Get. List all of your wants, dreams and desires in the Get column. When you have listed them all, select one, a relatively easy one, as your first goal. Now under the Give column list what you are willing to give (or give up) in order to accomplish your selected Get. According to the law of cause and effect, nature promises us that the effect (the Get) is guaranteed, as long we are creating the correct cause (the Give). Read this list out loud to yourself morning and evening until you know it by heart. Now you are ready for the final step.

#4 – Do!

Now that you have let your guard down, discovered your innermost dreams and desires and acknowledged that YOU are the power the only thing left between who you are now and who you want to be is action. Be bold…work through your list of Gives. Each evening, with your now sacred 10 minutes, journal about the steps you are taking, congratulate yourself on what you are doing well and acknowledge what still needs work. Let the becoming begin!

Happy Holidays to all, Julie