Saturday, March 14, 2009

How Eating Affects your Workout Routine

By Vinnce McCann

Exercise is vital in achieving good health. However, apart from the physical activity, eating is as important as well in order to sustain our body with the energy that it needs in keeping up with our daily activities. To maximize the benefits of our exercise, what we eat prior and after every workout is very important.

Whether you are planning on a resistance workout or a cardio exercise, it is very important that keep a balance mix of carbs and protein in your diet. The amount of carbs and protein that you need to take in will have depend on the type of exercise that wish to take on and the intensity that you plan to work at.

The best time for you to eat your pre workout meal is an hour prior to the exercise. If you're thinking of working out on a low intensity, take a 200-calorie meal. However, if you are planning of a high-intensity exercise, a meal with a calorie content between 4,000 to 5,000 would be ideal.

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.

The same thing goes after you finish with a resistance workout. You need to consume a good combination of protein and carbs. The only difference it makes from cardio exercise is that resistance activities break down muscle tissues by creating 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 exercise, wait for 30 minutes before you start eating. This is important so that you do not take blood away from your muscles. Your blood will play a vital role in the repair process by removing metabolic waste products.

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