Pre- and Post-Exercise Nutrition

Your nutritional needs will vary depending on your size, goals, duration of the activity and intensity of the exercise. For example, if you are preparing for a 20k run you will need more carbs than someone getting ready for a 45-minute gym session. Determining the perfect pre-workout meal for you takes trial and error. Pay close attention to your body and over time you should be able to figure out what works best for you.

Option 1: 2-3 hours before exercise

Eat a high-carbohydrate, low-fat meal that has a moderate amount of protein. This should be easy to digest and will help you maintain your blood sugar levels. It is best to consume the meal 2-3 hours before your workout so that your body has thoroughly digested the food which is important as during exercise you will have less blood flow to your digestive system, which can cause gastrointestinal issues like nausea, indigestion, and even diarrhoea. This is also one of the reasons you can experience the "workout whitey" during intense exercise.

Option 2: 0-60 minutes before training

We have all seen the Rocky regimen of gulping down some raw eggs before a training session. Nutritionally speaking Balboa's reasoning makes sense, the raw egg is a great source of protein and a lot easier to digest than a big meal. However there are safer ways (so please don’t try this at home because there are risks of Salmonella poisoning). Remember the closer you are too exercising the less time you have to digest the food. If you don't want to eat something too heavy before a session, why not try blending a shake containing both carbohydrates and proteins. Protein and blended foods in liquid form digests fairly quickly.

An example of this might be:

• 1 scoop of protein powder

• 1 fist full of veggies (spinach works great in smoothies)

• 1-2 cupped handfuls of carbs (banana or berries work great)

• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter

• low-calorie beverage like water or unsweetened almond milk.

What should I do while working out?

• It is important to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration while working out. If your number one priority is to lose body fat, add some Branch Chain Amino Acid (BCAAs) to your workout drink. About 5 to 15 grams per hour of training (if you weigh 90kg or more go for closer to 15 grams, 90kg or less try closer to 5 grams).

• If you’re leaner but still want to lose fat, choose a smaller dose (like 1/2 dose) of the protein and carb combination, or opt for BCAAs.

• With intense gym sessions, start by ingesting 30 grams of carbohydrate and 15 grams of protein (in 500ml water) per hour of workout time. You can sip this during the workout or consume it immediately after. You can either make your own post-workout drink or find a pre-formulated drink.

Post-workout nutrition

The purpose of post workout nutrition is to replenish the energy stores used up during the workout, repair any damage caused by the workout, decrease the potential for muscle soreness by reducing inflammation and hopefully develop muscle size or muscle quality. These benefits seem to work for everyone, regardless of gender or age.

Nutrition timing

This is very important aspect of post-exercise recovery. You should do your best to take advantage of this so-called “window of opportunity”. Although it may sound like something out of a Terry Gilliam movie, it actually refers to a post-workout phenomenon which opens immediately after your workout and starts to close within two hours. Therefore it’s so important to get the post-workout nutrition in immediately as your muscles are like a sponge, primed to accept nutrients to stimulate muscle repair, muscle growth and muscle strength. If you feed your body properly during this time, you’ll gain the benefits.

So what do I eat after working out?

I always advocate whole food meals if possible but these aren’t always practical after exercise. Whole food digests slowly, and our bodies want nutrients to be available quickly, plus some people just aren’t hungry immediately after a workout. This is why consuming a liquid form of nutrition that contains some protein and carbohydrates (for example a post-workout shake) is preferred. It is better tolerated and easily digested by the body. An example of a good post-workout meal would be chicken with rice and steamed vegetables or some fish and sweet potato.

So, enjoy your workouts, refuel correctly and pay close attention to how certain foods make you feel when working out. If you still can't make sense of it all come and check us out at www.everydayathletegym.com and we can help with all your nutrition and exercise needs.