Best Thing to Eat After a Workout
All of us know that to be healthy, fitter and slimmer, we need to exercise everyday and eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. Exercising without a proper healthy diet to go along, will never be as effective and yield the desired results, as exercising with a proper diet plan. Often times people are confused as to what to eat before and after a workout. They are also confused about how much gap should be given between a meal and exercises. To allay all these confusions, here is some useful information on best thing to eat after a workout as well as before it.
Tips on Best Foods before Workout
Before a workout, eat a light meal, because if you overeat, it will make you lazy and thus, you will not be able to exercise with the same enthusiasm. If a person eats a large meal before exercising, it is not good for his health. He may end up with a feeling of nausea or may even experience muscle cramps. When we eat a large meal, our body needs extra energy to digest it. To fulfill this requirement, the blood flow towards the digestive system increases. This leaves very little blood for the muscles and when these muscles are exercised, cramps are experienced.
On the other hand, care should be taken not to eat less before a workout, because if you eat less, you will not have the required strength to undertake a complete body workout. Eating less or not eating before exercising can lead to low blood sugar levels, making a person weak and sapped of energy, and thus, unable to properly exercise.
Ideally, two hours before a workout, nothing should be eaten. The meal before exercising should comprise mainly of carbohydrates because they are considered to be foods that give you energy. Avoid proteins and fats as much as you can. However, if you are feeling hungry right before exercising than having a fruit or any sports beverage will be ideal. Foods such as meats, potato chips, donuts as well as all high fiber foods should be avoided before a workout.
Tips on Best Foods after Workout
The first thing to consume, before any of the post workout foods is water. It is very essential that all the fluids lost by the body during exercising are replenished quickly. In fact, water should be consumed after every fifteen minutes during the workout as well.
As far as the post workout meal is concerned, it should be taken within two hours of working out and should be a mix of proteins and carbohydrates, fats should be avoided. According to some researchers, the best thing to eat after a workout is plenty of foods containing carbohydrates. Carbohydrates should be consumed within two hours of a workout to be totally effective. Carbohydrates help in building the required glycogen stores, which prepare the body for carrying out strenuous activities such as exercising. Some of the foods rich in complex carbohydrates are bran, brown bread, corn, cornmeal, oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, brown rice, potatoes, bagel pita bread, root vegetables, whole grain cereals, peas, beans, lentils, corn, high fiber breakfast cereals, yam and museli.
Another best thing to eat after a workout is food containing proteins as they provide the body with amino acids which are needed to rebuild the muscle tissues, which might have gotten damaged due to exercising. Proteins also aid in keeping the muscles well hydrated, by improving the absorption of water from intestines. Some of the foods rich in proteins are roasted chicken, roasted beef, bacon, fish, cheddar cheese, low fat yogurt, tofu and soya milk.
Thus, a meal which is a mix of proteins and carbohydrates is the best thing to eat after a workout. If you do not have time to prepare a meal then a salad made of green vegetables or a brown bread sandwich, will suffice as post workout foods too. The key is not to overeat, instead, maintain a balanced diet, to derive maximum benefits out of your workout routines.
