The nutrition needs of an avid exerciser are different depending on the goals. If you\u2019re training for a marathon and trying to truly enhance and improve your performance, there\u2019s one set of recommendations. If you\u2019re trying to build muscle in a more body-builder sort of way, there\u2019s another approach. And if you\u2019re trying to lose weight and using exercise as a part of just an overall healthy lifestyle, there\u2019s yet another way to incorporate nutrition.\u00a0 For the purposes of this post, we\u2019ll be looking at the latter situation.<\/p>\n
Most clients who come into CoreLife are looking to add or continue an exercise component in order to improve their overall health and to help support their weight loss journey. In this case, \u201cre-fueling\u201d isn\u2019t as necessary as in a performance-minded exercise regiment.\u00a0 If you\u2019re working out first thing in the morning and it\u2019s for less than 60 minutes, there\u2019s no need to eat anything, unless it makes you feel a bit better before you get moving.\u00a0 As long as you make sure to eat breakfast within 2 hours of waking, you should be just fine. So, if you\u2019re waking at 6, working out by 6:15, and eating breakfast before 8, you\u2019re good to go. Make sure you follow the basic recommendations of incorporating healthy fats, protein, and carbs to make it a complete meal. If you feel better having a little something in your stomach before you work out first thing, try a small piece of fruit or a graham cracker or two. You don\u2019t want much fat, protein, or fiber right before exercising, as that takes longer to digest and can cause you to have an upset\/uncomfortable stomach during your workout! In either case, I recommend starting with a little water to help get your body re-hydrated after a good night\u2019s rest.<\/p>\n
If you prefer to do your working out later in the day, make sure you don\u2019t go into it completely empty. If your last meal or snack was over 3 hours ago, have a little something to make sure you\u2019re not feeling light-headed during your workout. Again, a small piece of fruit, like half a banana or a few grapes is perfect.\u00a0 And if it\u2019s going to be a while until your next meal following your workout (more than an hour), plan to have a little snack to help your body recover and refuel. Post-workout snacks should contain some carbs and some protein to help replenish your body and jump start the muscle repair process (my powered-up chocolate milk recipe on the CoreLife blog is a great choice!).<\/p>\n
In the event that your workout are regularly lasting an hour or more (which I don\u2019t really recommend unless you\u2019re training specifically for something), I recommend a little carbohydrate and hydration boost during your hour+ workout. It\u2019s best if you incorporate this \u201cboost\u201d throughout the workout instead of all at once, as a big dose of carbs or fluids all at once can cause stomach distress and interrupt your workout. So, if you know that workout is going to be an hour or more, try to sip on something throughout so that you\u2019re getting about 2 cups of fluid by the end of an hour or so. While sports drinks are an ok choice, I recommend watered down grape juice (no sugar added) or watermelon juice (again, no sugar added). Try pouring about 10-12 oz of juice and then an additional 6-4 oz of water (for a total of 16 oz) into your water bottle.\u00a0 This provides the right amount of hydration and a good balance of natural carbs without giving you a sugar spike and the consequent crash. When you workout for over an hour, your body\u2019s blood sugar reserves (the preferred and most efficient energy source for your body) are drastically depleted. If you\u2019ve ever heard the expression or experienced that moment of \u201chitting the wall\u201d while exercising, you\u2019ve reached the point where your best energy stores are completed and your body is slowing down because it\u2019s being forced to use less efficient energy sources. Again, I don\u2019t recommend intense training sessions last 60 minutes or more, as it\u2019s hard on the body and generally not as effective as a shorter, more intense workout. If you\u2019re doing 60+ minutes of low or moderate activity (walking, lifting with large rest breaks between sets, etc) refueling during the workout is not really necessary; just be sure to hydrate and refuel following the workout. If you\u2019re finishing up your workout and going to be eating a meal soon after (within an hour), don\u2019t worry about a snack, but try to sip on some lemon water with a bit of sea salt to re-hydrate and provide your body with some electrolytes. Then make your meal a good balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats (just like you should ALWAYS be doing!).<\/p>\n
Training for something and need a more specific, individualized nutrition approach? Let us know when you come in to help us tweak your nutrition needs!<\/p>\n
Aubrey Phelps MS RDN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The nutrition needs of an avid exerciser are different depending on the goals. If you\u2019re training for a marathon and trying to truly enhance and improve your performance, there\u2019s one…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1652,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n