Exercise and physical activity must be complemented with a balanced diet and food and fluid intake, whether it is before, during or after a workout. There are several nutrition rules that are recommended and even advised to fuel your workout and these are essential to good health and fitness.
Your Body Needs Fuel To Run
An engine cannot run without fuel. Similarly, a body cannot function, let alone workout, without energy. You may feel energised after a workout but you need to fuel up before your workout in order to have enough energy to maximise your workout. You will also need to fuel up before a workout if you do not want to limit your body’s ability to burn calories.
However, this does not mean that you should eat right before a workout. While you may take your choice of fitness energy drink to the gym with you, your last meal before a workout should ideally be two hours before you begin your exercise routine.
It is recommended that you hydrate, mostly with water, but people also tend to opt for natural energy drinks. You should also have healthy carbohydrates like whole-grain foods toast, cereal, pasta and other foods, low-fat or fat-free yoghurt, brown rice, fruits and vegetables.
Saturated fats and too much healthy protein can take longer to digest and must be avoided before a workout.
In the event you do not have two hours to spare for a meal before a workout and only have ten minutes, you can have a piece of fruit, which will also be helpful.
These are nutrition rules you should follow before your workout.
- Don’t Forget The During And After
- Liquids Are Important
One of the main things to remember during your workout is to stay hydrated. Your body needs water or other types of liquids to stay hydrated. Fruit juices are great too, and many people prefer a fitness energy drink for their workouts.
A gym drink can replace lost fluids and hydrate you while also providing carbohydrates. This is essential to maintaining blood glucose levels, especially when your workout exceeds one hour. Good natural energy drinks can be of great use here, but fluid intake before, during and right after workouts must depend on the person as well as their fitness routine. This is why you need to pay attention to your body and what it needs in terms of nutrients.
- You Need Your Fats And Protein
Many people make the mistake of thinking they must either severely restrict their food intake in order to get fit or that they can eat whatever they like in any quantity since they work out regularly. However, neither belief is right since you need to fuel up even if you are trying to lose weight, while also being mindful of what you consume.
If you work out but fail to give your body the nutrients it needs, you will see a reduction in muscle mass, lower bone density and may experience fatigue. This can put you at risk of injury and illness, with longer recovery times.
This is why you need your carbohydrates, proteins, as well as fats, which are essential to a healthy diet.
