Monday, March 9, 2009

Eating and Exercise: In Mutual Action

By Vinnce McCann

We exercise at the aim of maintaning good health. To make this possible, we also acknowledge the role of proper diet which will keep our bodies in the right condition for work out and throughout our daily tasks.To maximize the potential of every work out, you should understand tha value of a pre and post workout meal. We will delve deeper into it as we go through.

Whether you are up for a cardio or a resistance workout, it is very important that maintain a balanced combination of carbohydrates and protein. The amount of carbs and protein which needs to be taken in by the body will have to depend on the kind of exercise which you are about to do and the intensity of the activity.

Your pre workout meal should be ideally taken at least an hour or so before you start you work out. Take a meal with a calorie content of 200 if you are planning on a low intensity level exercise. A high-intensity physical activity on the other hand will need between 4,000 to 5,000 content of calorie.

If you are to do a cardio workout, you will need to consume 1/3 protein and 2/3 carbs. The extra carbs will give you enough energy to sustain your whole exercise while the protein content will make sure that your muscles are in the right condition throughout the activity.

A resistance work out on the other hand, will need a mixture of 2/3 protein and 1/3 carbs. The carbs will give you ample energy to help you through every set that you do while the protein will prevent your muscles from breaking down.

Your post work out meal is as important as your pre work out meal. Regardless of the type of exercise that you do, you will deplete energy in the form of glycogen. Our brain and central nervous system rely on glycogen as a main source of fuel and so it is very necessary that you replace the lost glycogen after your exercise. Otherwise, your body will break down muscle tissues into amino acids and convert them to usable fuel for your central nervous system and the brain.

During exercise workout, you will break down muscle tissue by producing micro tears. After you perform a strenuous physical activity, your muscles automatically get into "repair mode" and so you will need ample amount of protein to aid your body's muscle repair. This will prevent your muscles from breaking down further to create fuel in lieu to lost glycogen.

After you finish your cardio exercise, it is ideal that you consume a big amount of carbs preferably those with high fiber content. You can eat oatmeal, rice, whole wheat, pasta or northern fruits for best results. Consume around 30-50 grams of carbs after every exercise. You can eat 5-10 minutes after your cardio workout.

A combination of protein and carbs is very ideal after your resistance exercise. Unlike cardio activities, resistance work outs break muscle tissues through production of micro tears.

To repair and build up these tears, you will need protein so that your muscles increase in strength and size. Carbohydrates will not only replace of your lost muscle glycogen, it will also help the protein get through muscle cells allowing it to synthesize into structural protein.

After you finish your resistance exrcise, it is very important that you wait for 30 minutes before you start eating. This way, you won't be taking blood away from your muscles too fast. The blood in your muscles will also help repair process as it aids in removing metabolic waste products.

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