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Eating Before or After
Exercising
Should you eat before or
after you exercise? The question of whether to exercise on a full or empty
stomach is a bit complicated to answer. First of all, how much you plan to
exercise and what sort of exercise it is will have a lot to do with how much
you need to eat and when.
Another important consideration is what those foods should be. For example,
an average person doing daily exercises to stay
fit is going to have
different goals and food needs from a pro athlete that is
training
constantly for a major event. So, here are some general tips to get you
started, regardless of your goals.
The Myths:
There are a lot of myths surround how much should be eaten before, after and
even during exercise. For example, many people
don't eat at all for the day
until after they exercise. For some reason, people assume that they will
burn off more fat that way, since the body won't be able to draw on recent
food supplies.
Some people choose to skip breakfast before their
morning workouts, but for
completely different reasons. For example, even some hard core athletes
think that an empty stomach will actually help them work out, since their
body won't be wasting energy trying to digest food and can supposedly put
more energy into working out. On the other hand, casual exercisers often
think they shouldn't eat before they exercise because it could cause
uncomfortable stomach cramps that will cut their
workouts short.
The Reality:
In fact, the reality of the situation is that those people are not doing
themselves any favors. The body needs energy to function properly,
especially after sleeping. After all,
calories are burned, even while you
are resting.
On average, people go about twelve hours between having supper at night and
having breakfast in the morning. In that time, the body relies on
carbohydrates and fats that have been stored to
fuel most of the 1,100 or so
calories that it burns.
That energy supply needs to be restocked. People are not kidding when they
say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Although, it's
important to keep your food stores
balanced throughout the day, too.
Keeping the Balance:
Now, during the day, you're going to burn an average of 100
calories an hour
when you're just sitting around. Obviously, exercising is going to make you
burn more calories. The trick is to balance how many calories you burn with
how many calories you eat. That's going to depend greatly on you, and how
much exercise you do.
Avoiding Ketosis:
If you don't maintain the balance, you could wind up in a state that is
known as ketosis. For example, let's say that after a good night of rest you
burn 1,100 calories, as mentioned earlier. Now, pretend that you burn an
additional 600 calories exercising and don't eat in between. Your body is
going to then go into a starvation and preservation mode. It's called
ketosis. During the ketosis mode, you're unlikely to have much of an
appetite, so you may put off eating even longer. At some point, your body is
going to go out of ketosis and into total panic mode where it needs food
immediately. That can cause you to
binge on foods and wind up eating much
more at one time than you should. That's certainly not the way to make the
most of your exercise routines.
The Snack Attack:
So, the point here is to keep your body in balance. One good way to do that
is to adjust your eating habits to your workout routines. For example, you
may find it beneficial to eat a high-energy snack right before an intense
workout. A good suggestion would be a piece of fruit or some pasta. That
will make sure your glycogen supplies stay well-stocked while you exercise.
The Refuelling Window:
After a strenuous workout, there's something known as the refuelling window.
For about forty-five minutes, your body is better able to repair and
replenish muscles. Also, the body is producing more
insulin, which can be
useful for restocking protein, but not without the proper fuel. So, it's
absolutely vital that you eat shortly after a major
workout.
Sometimes, it's not that convenient to eat right after a workout. So, it's
good to take energy drinks or energy bars with you, if you won't be
exercising at home. If you have access to a bigger
variety of foods, though,
you can have some fruits, a peanut butter sandwich, some yogurt, or even
some pasta. Remember one thing, though. Just because you need to eat after
an intense workout doesn't mean that you need to eat a
huge meal. It's all
about maintaining balance in your body.
Hydration:
Finally, remember that food isn't all your body needs to be efficient. You
also need to stay well hydrated before, during and after workouts. Not only
can dehydration make you fell sick and tired, but it makes your body much
less efficient during a workout. On top of that, being dehydrated can also
make you more prone to injuries.
So, now that you understand a bit more about food and exercise, you can be a
bit more confident about your daily routines. However, it never hurts to
talk to a doctor or nutritional expert. They can help you
tailor a diet to
your own personal exercise routine. After all, there's a big difference
between taking a 15-minute walk and running a marathon. So, the
relationship
between food and exercise is a bit different for every person.
The causes of muscle fatigue during exercise
You must seek approval from your doctor
before starting any new diet.
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