Diet Paired With Exercise

 In Blog

Many people correlate diet and exercise to be parallels, one not having to do with another. But in reality these two separate necessities intertwine more than on one occasion. Have you ever had an upset stomach while running? The greasy pizza you ate for lunch could have caused that. Have you ever felt foggy after eating foods and had poor performance in the gym or competition? Certain foods are hard to consume right before you perform at an optimum level with. Key pieces to nutrition that will help result in positive performance can be timing of meals, size of meals, and composition of meals.

downloadTiming your meals around workouts is ideal to prevent feeling nauseous, getting side aches, and lacking energy. Most people can consume a decent meal 1.5-2 hours before a workout, this gap in time will allow for food to fully digest and provide substantial energy for the workout. Considering that most of us work full time and do not have the luxury to take breaks when we need to consume food before a workout. Learning to eat heavier and lighter meals in regards to how your body feels will become ideal for those looking to get the most out of their nutrition and workouts. The meal size, discussed previously, will aide in regards to performance.

Eating an entire pizza before a workout will be tough to get through a workout without feeling adverse affects. This is not necessarily due to the composition of the meal but due to the size of the meal. Eating 2 pounds of food before you go lift weights or run a 5k will be extremely difficult. Some professional athletes recommend a light meal such as a piece of fruit and some nut butter before a workout. Many athletes will agree that eating a large meal before a workout is never a good idea unless they have ample time to digest, which we discussed timing in the previous paragraph. When interviewed personal trainers suggested eating smaller meals that consist of light easy to digest carbohydrates and a protein. Now you are probably asking for specific examples, luckily we have compiled a group list of everyone’s pre-workout go to.

Now that we have discussed adequate timing and size of the meal, we are down to the final key piece to proper nutrition to benefit your performance and workouts. The composition of the meal can make or break your workouts and performance. Certain foods such as easily digestible carbohydrates(Greek yogurt, banana, oats) can allow for access to quick energy where as fats and proteins will digest at a much slower pace. Personally pairing plain Greek yogurt, half a banana, and 2 tbsp. of rolled oats is a favorite in the morning. Everyone will react differently according to the nutrients they ingest, finding your perfect personal pre-workout meal will help

With a healthy grasp on the needed knowledge in regards to nutrition in order to perform well it is important to pay attention to what you are consuming in order to get the most out of your training. Remember your body is a racecar, fuel it with unleaded gas and it is likely not to perform adequately.

Pre-Workout Recommended Combinations:

Oatmeal with fresh fruit and nuts

Egg white with vegetables omelet

Smoothie

Apple with almond butter

Chicken breast with light vegetables(broccoli, zucchini)

Protein shake

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