How to eat before and after exercise?
However, this may become a limitation for people who want to develop six-pack abs or get rid of layers of fat. Because they cannot eat as they wish and must pay attention to the intake and output of calories, some people are even afraid of wasting their efforts and pursue the principle of "not eating at all or eating less before and after exercise to avoid negating the effects of exercise."
But the fact is: exercising on an empty stomach or not eating after exercise are the obstacles that prevent you from achieving your goals!
There is a friend around me, brother?, who is a victim of exercising on an empty stomach and not eating after exercise.
In order to pursue a better body shape, on the one hand, he practiced morning jogging, weight training, freehand exercises and other methods to build his body. On the other hand, he strictly adhered to the principle of "move more and not eat" and chose not to eat before or after exercise to lose weight.
At first, the effect seemed obvious and his weight dropped significantly. Brother ? was convinced that this would be effective and decided to maintain the habit of skipping meals. However, the good times did not last forever. Two weeks later, he shared the following experience with us:
"Exercising without eating will easily make your limbs weak and your whole body feel limp. You will also be unable to focus on the training and will not be able to exert your strength at all, which makes him really "?"! Later, I found that if I eat something before exercising, my body will be relatively stronger. Not only did my athletic performance improve, but my weight also dropped from 63 to 59 kilograms, and my body fat rate dropped from 21% to 18%! ”
Yes, not eating before exercise will indeed have the side effects mentioned above! This is because during exercise, the body needs glucose (glucose) in the muscles and liver to supply fuel.
If you don’t eat before exercising, your glucose levels will drop soon after you exercise, and your muscle cells will no longer be able to produce ATP. When there is insufficient fuel, the operation of the energy system will be affected, causing the human body to experience feelings of weakness, fatigue, etc.
If nutrition is not replenished in time after exercise, the body will decompose the protein in the muscles in order to replenish energy as quickly as possible (because the nervous system and blood cells can only rely on glucose for energy). As a result, the muscles will not only fail to become stronger, but may also become weak. disintegrate.
So, what should you eat before exercising? Or eat it later?
It is best to "eat everything!" (Tip: Those who are overweight do not need to be considered, but those who are slightly fat or have an average body shape are recommended to refer to it.)
The amount you eat before exercise should be based on the principle that you will not feel any discomfort during exercise and can maintain enough blood sugar for muscle use. The content of the food should best meet your personal physiological needs, with carbohydrates that are high in sugar (not refined sugar), not greasy, and easy to digest. Mainly compounds, such as toast, oatmeal with low-fat milk, low-fat fruit yogurt, etc.
It is important to note that eating too much sugar before exercise will cause insulin to spike and affect exercise performance. Although elevated insulin can stimulate blood sugar to enter muscles, high amounts of insulin will inhibit fat oxidation, reduce the energy supply from fat, hinder long-lasting exercise, and cause fatigue to occur earlier.
Therefore, eating sugar before exercise does not mean eating randomly. It depends on the time and amount. It is generally recommended that this action requires training (continuous attempts to accumulate experience to find the food, amount and eating time that suit you).
The sooner you eat after exercise, the better, because the muscles are very sensitive to insulin at this time and the glycogen synthesis rate is also faster. You can choose carbohydrates with a high glycemic load (which aids in glycogen synthesis), plus a small amount of protein (which aids in muscle synthesis) to help you repair your body.
Some scholars suggest that the best way is to "eat a hearty meal directly." But remember, you still have to follow the principles of balance and health as much as possible. It doesn’t mean you can eat unscrupulously after exercising!
In addition, during exercise, the ideal situation is to replenish 250 to 375cc of water every 10 to 15 minutes; if you are participating in a competition or practicing for a long time, it is good to have some sports drinks, energy bars or chocolate at the right time. A source of carbohydrates to keep you from feeling exhausted midway through.
Usually, the closer to the exercise time, the carbohydrate and fat intake should gradually decrease. Especially fat, because fat takes more time to digest, so you need to avoid indigestion or nausea during exercise.
Here is an example to give you a clearer idea of how to eat it.
For a 70kg person, one hour before exercise, he should consume 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (according to research, 1.1~2.2 can improve exercise performance). The fat content should not be too much. You can A plain bagel (you can spread a spoonful of peanut butter on top to add flavor, the calories are about 225 calories) and add half a cup of orange juice (about 80 calories).
Note: The original bagels can be replaced with whole wheat toast, and the orange juice can also be replaced with other fruit juices. The total calories should be controlled below 300 calories.
After exercise, eat high-sugar foods, with 1.5 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight, plus a small amount of protein (the ratio is about 4:1). Taking a 70-kg person as an example, the meal can be arranged as follows: 1 original bagel (two spoons of peanut butter can be spread on it), 300 ml of skimmed milk (115 calories), and finally 2 bananas.
Note: The above meal has about 650 calories, about 105 grams of carbohydrates, about 21 grams of protein, and about 16 grams of fat.
If you are tired of eating these things, you might as well replace them with lean meat (fish), tea eggs, soy milk or steamed buns. Of course, these dietary principles are only rough directions and are for reference only. It is best for everyone to consider based on personal needs and preferences, or the convenience of obtaining ingredients.
However, the general rule to remember is: eat before and after exercise! I believe that as long as you follow the basic rules, eat mainly carbohydrates, add a small amount of protein and fat, and eat less greasy and processed foods, you can eat healthily without losing the effect of exercise.