You gathered your strength and decided to start a sporting lifestyle? This is a laudable initiative, and the main thing now is to observe the regularity of the selected workouts. If these are classes in the gym, then a personal trainer will help you choose a set of exercises to achieve certain goals. If these are group lessons, then your task is to carry out movements on the conscience and not to lurk. However, in addition to the sports process itself, nutrition before and after training is of great importance. After all, you go to the gym to "build" a beautiful body, right?
First we eat, then we run ... or drag the bar!
Food is the building material of our body. She can become our friend and ally on the way to the ideal figure, or she can turn out to be an enemy standing in the way. Let's see how pre-workout nutrition affects the results we show in class.
The first thing food must provide is enough energy for physical activity. You do not want to die of fatigue and lack of strength during training?
Complex carbohydrates give us energy , and proteins help to prolong the feeling of satiety for a long time. In order not to feel hunger, but not to jump and run with a full stomach, you need to eat 1.5-2 hours before class. This can be porridge on the water with vegetables, omelet with whole grain bread, pasta, natural yogurt and fruits - that is, foods rich in carbohydrates and proteins with a minimum fat content.
When planning meals before a workout, consider the nature of the activity. If you are going to the gym for strength exercises, then half an hour before them, you can additionally drink a protein shake or eat a little cottage cheese. This is necessary so that the amino acids entering the body are immediately used for protein synthesis and muscle growth. Just before aerobic exercise, it’s better not to eat anything, but just drink some water. By the way, you need to replenish fluid reserves during the training process.
To eat or not to eat - that’s the question!
You have successfully and productively practiced in the gym and, having arrived home, you have felt a slight feeling of hunger. What to do? Do I need to eat right after training or is it worth the wait? Again, it all depends on your goals.
If you want to build muscle, eat during the first 20-30 minutes after exercise. The fact is that during this period catabolic processes (active muscle breakdown) begin, which contradicts your desires. So that the work in the gym is not in vain, you must definitely eat digestible protein (egg, for example) and fast carbohydrates. Everything is clear with the first, but why carbohydrates? They contribute to the production of the anabolic hormone insulin, which prevents the development of destructive processes in the muscles. It is also useful to drink milk after training, because it contains casein and whey, which contribute to the rapid recovery of muscles.
If building up the mass is not in your plans, but a cherished dream is a thin, toned figure, then within the first hour after training it is better to refuse food, and then eat something light and nonfat. It should be slow carbohydrates and protein. A great option is low-fat fish or white chicken and a vegetable side dish.
As you can see, the nutrition before and after training differs depending on the type of physical activity, as well as the goals that we pursue, going to the gym.
To summarize, we can formulate this rule: nutrition before training should be in any case, preferably a couple of hours before class. After strength exercises, you need to eat for half an hour (fast-digesting proteins + carbohydrates), and after aerobic exercises - not earlier than an hour later (low-fat proteins + complex carbohydrates). Eat right and achieve your goals!