Eat right – Train right
So today I’m going to look at getting the balance right with eating and exercise! There are so many different variants to this and will depend completely on each different person, whether you have weight to lose or whether you are maintaining and also what type of training you are doing. Your nutrition requirements will be completely different for a 3 mile slow jog than it would for a 10 mile run or for more intense training sessions such as interval training! It’s important to eat right – train right to get the most out of your body.
1) Early morning exercise for greater fat burn
There is a lot of research that suggests working out in the morning (before you eat) will help to maximize the amount of fat you burn. Working out on an empty stomach may burn more fat which is fantastic for those trying to lose weight – but also has its con’s to be aware of. Some people may find that they lack energy and therefore cannot complete the stated time for their workout, or find that half way during the run they end up finishing up walking. The problem with this might be that although they are intending to burn more calories, the workout itself has to be cut short – or the intensity is much lower due to lack of energy. So moral of the story, if you find you can complete your workout without compromising on time or form then go for it and try and burn the extra fat. If not, then try and add a small snack in the morning an hour or so before you exercise to ensure you can still give your workout your all, but keeping the calories at a minimum to keep that fat burning! 🙂
2) Post activity recovery food
Again this will vary depending on your aims through exercise. For those trying to lose weight, try and position your exercise before one of your main meals, which means once your exercise workout is completed you are refueling your body without adding any extra calories – just the food for your meal you would’ve eaten anyway! Eating a balanced meal
is important and should include Protein (for muscle repair) and carbohydrate to boost your energy levels back up – and of course veggies!
For those who do not need to watch their calorie intake, or after a session of high intensity or long duration then recovery drinks can be a great way to get the protein and carbs back into the body quickly. Protein is essential for muscle repair so be especially aware of this after say an interval session, or a heavy-duty weights session where your muscles have been challenged.
3) Good sources of proteins for recovery
Eggs, chicken, fish are low fat – high protein options, and dairy products such as milk, yoghurts and cheese are also great for getting the protein in – do try however to stick to the low fat milk rather than full fat and also limit the amount of cheese you eat, cheese is rather high in fat so the recommended daily amount is roughly the size of a small matchbox per day. Lean Beef has a little more fat in it than chicken, but also contains Iron, Vitamin B12 and Zinc.
4) When to eat!
Again this will vary from person to person but if you are planning on working out after a meal this should require a small bit of planning to ensure that you are not too sluggish or find yourself with uncomfortable stomach cramps!
- Small Snacks – 1 hour before exercise
- Small Meals – 2 – 3 hours before exercising
- Large Meals – At least 3 – 4 hours before exercising.
5) Hydration
Hydration is also key to keeping your body in tiptop condition. Keeping our bodies working effectively, and for those trying to lose weight it is vital to help flush through the fat 🙂 If you are doing for example a long run, or other endurance training session, it can be a good idea to weigh yourself before and after your workout. For every lb you lose during your workout – replace it by drinking approx. 1 pint of water 🙂 Drinking before, during and after your session to make sure you keep hydrated. For those trying to lose weight stick to water to avoid any extra unnecessary calories. One tip for really good rehydration is to drink coconut water – you can pick this up from health stores, or even some supermarkets and there is some really great research on the benefits of coconut water, especially for post exercise rehydration. Full of potassium and about 50 calories per glass 🙂
So enjoy exercise responsibly and always be sure to fuel your body with the right foods and keeping hydrated.
Now what are you waiting for?!
Get MOVING 🙂
Feedback
I love getting everyone’s feedback and what you would like to see on the site etc and I’m happy to say that the top three requests have now been completed. The first being a Facebook Community Page and the second being an option to post comments after the blog posts and thirdly the option to join our mailing list.
So…
For those who may be interested, I have created a Facebook Community Page for members (old & new) and for non-members. It is a closed group so all your posts are private. The group was created to give help to anyone looking for encouragement, motivation or just to chat with like minded people going through the same journey. You can join the page by clicking here
As you can see beneath this blog and every other blog post, you can now post comments (nice comments I hope!). When viewing directly from the full blog page you will not be able to see the posts but if you go in to each blog you will see them and can comment.
And finally you can now join the Why Weight Ireland Newsletter. You can add your name and email address either on the on the left hand side of this blog or via our Facebook page in the Newsletter Signup tab (Next to the Likes Tab). For now, I will only use the newsletter for sending out important news, discounts etc but don’t worry I will not be bombarding you with emails 🙂 If you would like me to use it for sending out Tips & Advice regarding fitness & weight loss etc I would be more than happy to do so if enough requests come in.
Thanks and as always don’t forget to share the blog and please LIKE the Why Weight Ireland Facebook page!
Hannah x