As you get busy with your workout programs, one thing that you must make sure you aren't overlooking is what you're eating before and after the training sessions you're doing.
Far too many people just 'wing' their nutrition and this is going to have a profound influence on the results that you see. The food you feed your body during these times are what will prepare it for the workout ahead and help to kick-star the recovery, so not something you should take lightly.
Let's look at the most optimal pre and post workout meal set-ups.
Before Your Workout
First you need to consider what to eat before your workout. Generally this meal should come anywhere between 30-60 minutes before your workout, but depending on your own food tolerance, it may come sooner or later. Just make sure that you aren't cramping up during the workout because of it.
You want this meal to be primarily protein and carbohydrate based, with little to no fat involved. Fat will only weigh you down during the workout, taking away from your performance.
Look to lean protein sources such as chicken, turkey, fish, and egg whites along with complex carbohydrates such as oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, or quinoa.
Try and stay away from sugary carbs as these may provide a fast burst of energy, but they'll cause your blood sugar to drop mid-session, which will leave you feeling weak and potentially dizzy.
After Your Workout
Now looking at the post-workout meal, this one you want to be taking in as soon after the workout as possible. At this point your muscles are just crying out for good nutrition and anything you give them will be instantly put to use for tissue rebuilding and repair.
Again, keep fat out of the picture here. Your primary goal is to spike your insulin levels (through spiked blood glucose) so that you will suck those nutrients up and take them right into muscle storage.
You need to get in some good quality protein powder to provide the amino acids for muscle tissue rebuilding and repair, and whey protein powder makes for an ideal choice. It's generated to be fast digesting, so will serve your needs perfectly at this time.
Combine that with some simple carbs and some complex ones as well. This way the simple carbs will spike your blood glucose levels, but the complex carbs will carry you through after that.
A good example would be a whole wheat bagel with some jelly or some bran cereal combined with sugary cereal. Or, consider some brown rice and a banana.
All will work great to replenish your muscle glycogen stores.
So keep these pre and post workout meal tips in mind and make sure yours are where they need to be. It will make a huge difference in your training progress.
