Exercise and Eating

Exercise is a wonderful thing to do for your health. Exercising at least twice a week does wonders towards maintaining a good health.

In order to exercise well, you should also eat well. Your body has to get the energy it needs to exercise and to maintain for the other mundane tasks of your life. In order to make the best of your exercise, you should be careful about what you eat before and after your physical workout.

You should always have a balanced meal of protein and carbohydrates before you start your exercise. This pre-exercise meal, which should be taken ideally about an hour before you start your exercise, is important for both a cardio and a resistance workout, though the exact percentage of carbs and proteins depends on the type of the exercise you are planning. Also, for a more intense workout you will need to consume more calories.

For a low intensity level workout your pre-exercise meal can be down to about 200 calories. For a more intensive workout you will need more calories. For a very intense workout you may even need a meal of 4,000-5,000 calories.

As mentioned about, the proportions of carbohydrates and protein depend on the type of workout you are planning to do. A cardio session demands more carbohydrates – about 2/3 of your meal should consist of carbs, while the other 1/3 should be proteins. The extra carbs give you a longer sustained energy, while the protein keeps your muscle from breaking down.

For a resistance type of exercise you the proportions should be the other way around – 2/3 protein and 1/3 carbohydrates. During a resistance exercise you need more protein to keep your muscle from breakdown, though you still need the carbs to have enough energy for the workout.

After your exercise, you again should have a healthy meal. During your exercise you deplete energy in the form of glycogen. Your brain and central nervous system need the glycogen, which is their main source of fuel, so you have to replace the lost glycogen. If your body does not get enough glycogen it will break down the muscle tissue into amino acids which can be converted into usable fuel for the brain and the central nervous system.

During your exercise, more so during resistance exercise, you break down the muscle tissue by creating micro tears. After the workout your muscles will go into repair mode and will need a lot of protein for doing that. Protein is the key here so that your body will not break down the muscle tissue even further. Your post-exercise meal should include, in the case of a resistance workout, both protein and carbohydrates.

The carbohydrates will not only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but will also help the protein get into muscle cells so it can synthesize into structural protein, or the muscle itself. You should consume this meal about 30 minutes after you finish your exercise, so that you won't take blood away from your muscles too fast. The blood in your muscles will help the repair process by removing the metabolic waste protects.

After a cardio session, on the other hand, you will need to consume mainly carbohydrates, preferably those with high fiber: Rice, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, or northern fruits. All these types of food are excellent resources for fiber. Try to consume 30-50 grams of these types of carbs after the exercise. It is fine to eat within 5 to ten minutes after a cardio workout.