Among individuals highly active in physical conditioning, a common question that seems to arise is, 'what is the appropriate food regime pre and post training?' This is an important question because it is vital to properly nourish one's body before a training session for optimal performance, and post training for a efficient and speedy recovery. To begin, here are some tips for preparing before a training session.
Don't eat that full meal right before you train.
Has anyone ever had a meal shortly before for training, and during the performance felt sluggish, cramping and or nauseous? Remember how our parents use to tell us not to swim within an hour after eating? Well the similar concept applies to working out, as it is not the ideal situation to exercise shortly after consuming a full meal. It is important to allow your body time to fully digest your previous meal, yet still maintain suitable energy for your work out. Everyone is different when it comes to fully digesting a meal, as it also depends on what the last meal may have consisted of, but a general rule of thumb is to allow your body to digest that last full meal at least one to three hours before training.
Eat Low Fat, High Carbohydrate Meals.
Your meals before trianing should be lower in fat and higher in carbohydrates, so that your body is provided with adequate energy and easy digestion. A good quick energy snack about a half an hour to working out is a a piece of fruit.
Plan ahead to allow for time to eat.
This is when time management becomes important, because if you are a morning trainer, the idea of having to get up that one to three hours earlier is probably not to thrilling. Ideally that is the best solution, but alternatively eating a liquid meal such as a fruit smoothie or nutrition shake is suggested no less than 30 minutes before a session. This is a easily digestible meal that will jump start your metabolism, provide you with necessary fuel during the routine, while reducing the risk of cramping and or the feeling of nausea.
Post-work out is just as important as pre-work out.
Once your training session is complete, it is just as important as the pre-work out to properly time manage and choose your foods for a speedy and efficient recovery. It is important that within 15-30 minutes after a good endurance training session to consume a higher carbohydrate item, such as a piece of fruit, as a means for restoring the depleted glycogen levels. Another important strategy to remember is to ensure you refuel yourself within two hours after your session with a protein and carbohydrates. The ideal protein to carbohydrate ratio for achieving this is 4 grams of carbohydrates to every 1 gram of protein.
Easily digestable foods are the way to go.
Just as before the workout it is important to consume something that is going to be easily digested by your body, so a liquid nutrition smoothie is ideal for achieving this. It is important to consume both of these factors shortly after a session as the proteins assists in rebuilding the muscle tissues that are torn during training by replenishing amino acids. Protein is also a useful tool for assisting your body in the absorption of liquids, thus allowing you to better re-hydrate yourself after the workout.
Drink water.
Hydration is very important, for every 1 pound loss during training, 20-24 oz of water should be consumed to properly replenish what was lost during the session.
It is important to be physically active, but it is even more important to properly nourish one's self pre and post training for optimal performance and additionally to assist in the prevention of any injuries. This requires a little time management and effort initially but ultimately the increased results over shadow the previous.
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