Hello, hello!
Well I told you guys that recently I started teaching some group fitness classes at my church a couple times a week. It’s actually been a lot of fun and has been so good for me!
It’s quite a bit of work and has caused me some stress, but I know it’s just what I need in my life right now. It’s been fun to create different workouts, it’s been nice to hang out with friends, it’s certainly great to get a good workout in and it’s been good for me to figure out how to teach!
I’ve gone to fitness classes at the gym or done workouts at home since I was about 16 years old. Teaching always looked so easy and seamless, until you have to go out and do it! It’s actually quite tricky to figure out how to teach and cue the exercises and how to count and talk at the same time! Ha ha.
It’s fun though and I’m grateful that for now I’m just doing it with my friends. It’s certainly been a learning and growing experience!
Anyway, I’ve been talking to the ladies in my class about proper post-workout nutrition lately. I was telling them how important it is to get some protein and carbs in the body shortly after a workout. Several of them were asking me for specific ideas about what to eat….so I thought I would write up a blog post and share my two cents here as well!
Now I wanna say there is a TON of information out there about what to eat before, during and after a workout. There’s a ton of science explaining various needs of the body and there have been a lot of different studies done that have examined the specifics and nitty-gritty of how different nutrition strategies effect the body pre and post workout.
I love learning about this stuff and experimenting with my own body and lifestyle to see what works best for me, but I gotta say that the MASS AMOUNT of information out there about this topic can been overwhelming!
It’s fascinating, but really the average person DOES NOT need to worry about it that much!
Soooo, my purpose in writing this post is to simplify the whole “what to eat before, during and after a workout” process and make it simple, concise and applicable to most people out there!
Pre-Workout Nutrition
I gotta say, that what you eat BEFORE a workout isn’t nearly as important as what you eat AFTER a workout. As far as pre-workout nutrition goes, I think it really comes down to personal preference and what kind of workout you are going to do.
Some people like to have a little food in the body before a workout and some people like to exercise in a “fasted state.” IMO, it just depends on how YOU feel YOU can perform your best!
I personally prefer to not have a lot of food in my body when I workout. I particularly don’t like to eat anything within an hour of my workout. If I have too much food in my body, it kind of makes me feel sluggish and blah.
If I workout first thing in the morning, I usually don’t eat anything before my workout. If I workout later in the day (which is usually the case!), I prefer to have eaten something an hour or two before my workout.
The only exception to this is when I run; particularly when I run further than like 4-5 miles. I definitely like to have a little fuel in my body when I know I’m going for a longer run.
If you’re someone who likes to have a little food in your body before a workout, I would suggest eating a larger, well balanced meal 2-3 hours before your workout or eating a small snack about an hour before your workout. I’ll share some meal ideas at the end of this post.
It’s particularly important to focus on carbs before a workout because they are the main fuel for your muscles. They will give you the energy you need throughout the workout and can boost your performance. A little protein is helpful too because it will help to retain and rebuild your muscle mass.
During Workout Nutrition
Most people don’t need to eat during exercise. The exception would be long distance runners or people who are working out intensely for more than an hour.
If I’m going on a run that is longer than 45 minutes or more than 5 miles, I definitely like to take something like a Gu or a Chew during my run. It makes a huge difference! A friend of mine likes to eat mini Snickers bars when she goes for a long run. Whatever works!
It’s really interesting, when I run longer than 5 or so miles, I can feel myself hitting the wall; essentially running low on my glycogen or energy stores. When I take an energy gel or something similar, it’s quite miraculous. Within minutes I feel energetic and good again! It definitely makes a difference during long runs or endurance training.
Other than my long runs, I’ve never felt a need to eat anything during a workout. I will say that sometimes I like to drink BCAAs during my workout. It’s apparently supposed to give you energy (I think I’ve noticed this helps, although it could be a placebo effect!) BCCAs are also said to strengthen your immune system, protect the lean muscle you already have, promote muscle growth and improve recovery after a workout.
It’s hard for me to tell if BCAAs are actually helping my body in these ways, but I take them anyway and hope that they help! Right now, Xtend (sold on Amazon) is my favorite BCAAs brand.
I buy the fruit punch flavor and the RAW (unflavored) versions. When I use the RAW kind, I like to flavor it with a small about of natural drink mix, like True Lemon.
I also like to drink some BCAAs the day after a tough workout. It tastes refreshing to me (I like to mix it in a very large glass of ice water and sip it!) and I like to think it helps to support my muscle and my body as it’s recovering.
Post-Workout Nutrition
Post-workout nutrition is definitely the most important and the thing you should really focus on after a tough workout. It’s particularly important to get some protein and some carbs in the body as soon as possible after a workout; ideally within 15-20 minutes, but definitely within 2 hours.
The purpose of Post-Workout nutrition is to:
- Replenish your glycogen (energy) stores
- Retain and protect the lean muscle already on your body
- Build muscle or improve muscle quality
- Help with recovery and repair the damage caused by the workout
Proper post-workout nutrition also strengthens your immune system, strengthens your bones and allows your body to burn body fat easier.
Sooooo, with all that being said, don’t overthink it or stress out. Just try to eat a small meal (particularly one with carbs and protein) as soon as possible after a workout.
Here’s a pic of me and my son after one of the classes I taught at my church.
As soon as I got home, I whipped up a post-workout meal; a fresh peach topped with Greek yogurt with a little vanilla protein powder mixed in, topped with cinnamon. I enjoyed it out on the deck with him. It felt like summer!
Yogurt and fruit are a great post-workout meal! Here are some other good Post-Workout meal ideas (these same things are also good ideas for pre-workout fuel as well.):
- A premade protein shake with some fruit on the side (berries, apple, banana, etc.)
- A homemade protein shake
- I have a bunch of different recipes on my blog, I also wrote a post all about my go-to protein shakes/smoothies (scroll down about half way through the post) that explains how I make my shakes.
- Protein pancakes topped with fruit and/or peanut butter with a side of eggs!
- A Banana or apple with with peanut butter (so good!)
- A bowl of oatmeal with protein powder mixed in and topped with fruit (I have a few recipes in my recipe section.)
- A turkey sandwich or wrap with veggies and/or fruit
- Chocolate Milk (this is perfect immediately after a workout, but you’ll want to eat some more food within an hour or two afterward.
- Trail Mix (a mix of nuts, dried fruit, seeds, chocolate chips, etc.)
- Eggs (omelet, scrambled, fried, hard-boiled, etc.) with fruit
- Sweet potato with a protein source on the side (protein shake, eggs, chicken, fish, nuts, etc.)
- Cottage cheese with fruit
- A rice cake topped with peanut butter, cottage cheese and fruit (this might sound weird, but it’s good!)
Okay, well that’s about all I can think of for now! I hope some of these ideas have helped you to know how to fuel your body before, during or after a workout.
I want to make sure to emphasize, do not stress out and do not overthink it. Just focus on getting some good quality, nutrient dense food into the body as soon as possible after a workout and you will be golden!
I also want to add that if you have a sweet tooth, the best time to indulge in a little sugar (not too much!) is immediately following a workout! Your body will be more insulin sensitive and will be able to use that sugar more effectively. Just sayin’.
Well that’s all I got tonight, so I will be quiet now. I hope you are all happy and healthy! xoxo
Leave a comment....I would love to hear from you!