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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!

Ten Tips to Keep Your Fitness and Nutrition Program Going Strong!

Julie Luther
Aug 22, 2016
3 min read

10 Tips to Start or Keep a Fitness and Nutrition Program Going Strong

1 – Imagine yourself as a role model.

Who inspires you? Display a picture of them and then write a brief paragraph about how they inspire you. Then make a sincere attempt to adopt their success. What would they do in any particular situation…then do it.

2 – Stop thinking you have to dedicate your whole life to losing weight.

Exercising and eating right does not take up all of your brain cells or time. It is something you can easily dedicate to practicing just 4 times a day. Once for your exercise program and the other 3 times to eating healthy meals. Enjoy your life!

3 – Clean the slate every day.

So you didn’t reach your fitness or nutrition goal yesterday. Let it go. Begin each morning with a fresh outlook on yourself. You are capable of making good choices today!

4 – Don’t expect unbroken enthusiasm.

Just like life, your fitness and nutrition program is not going to always be easy. Some days you will be tired, cranky and just plain not interested. Accept that this will happen and trudge the road to success that day. Sooner or later you will be excited about it again. Especially if you stick to your good habits and can feel or see the difference in how your clothes fit or how much energy you have.

5 – Recognize there is no such thing as too busy.

The research has shown again and again that the busiest people in the world exercise. For that matter a research study done in 1996 found that the ONLY common denominator among happy people was that ALL happy people exercise. So MAKE time to plan your meals, exercise and be happy.

6 – Find accountability.

Join a group, hire a personal trainer or nutritionist, tell a friend or family member or co-worker. Be accountable to someone for your behavior and I might also suggest be someone else’s accountant. Help each other every day make the right choice.

7 – Think of yourself as a beginner.

Be willing to listen and learn…even if you THINK you are going to hear or learn the same tired advice. Think like a newbie, you might just find out something you heard before really works OR you might actually do what you heard before OR you might hear something new.

8 – Stray from the herd.

If you are going to change your behavior, you will probably need to change your playmates and your playgrounds. Hang out with folks that are already taking good care of themselves and stop eating in establishments that carry fattening unhealthy food choices. And by all means STOP going to all you can eat buffets. NO ONE needs to eat ALL THEY CAN EAT!

9 – Stop over thinking.

Put down the self-help book and start doing the work!! Begin simply each day with 1 goal of behavior change.

10 – Adopt one of the first 9 tips each day for 9 days.

Your Welcome

Julie Luther is the founder and president of PurEnergy Fitness Center in Greensboro. She has been helping community organizations and individuals create healthier lives for over 30 years. You can reach her at www.julieluther.com

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