Recover With Post Workout Meals
Everyone knows how important nutrition is when it comes to your health goals, but do you pay enough attention to your pre and post-workout meals? Find out why these meals are so vital to help you fuel up and recover faster!
How important are pre and post-workout meals?
Eating the right nutrients before and after your workout can make a huge difference to your energy levels, training intensity and recovery time.
Before we go any further, this article isn’t about advising you to take any protein powders or supplements, the aim is to get all of the protein and nutrients from the food you eat so that your body takes them in naturally.
Pre Workout Meals
Despite what many people have been scared into thinking, carbs are your friend during the pre-workout meal.
The key is to have a mixture of complex and simple carbs that give you a nice steady release of energy throughout your workout. The ideal meal to give you this mixture of carbs and high-protein food is whole-wheat toast with some fruit on top to give you that extra kick from the sugar.
If you’re likely to be doing more running or a cardio-based workout, then have some banana on your toast – banana is high in potassium and keeps your levels up when you sweat a lot.
The final piece of the jigsaw to finish it off is some cinnamon, cinnamon is thought to improve your brain functionality and also keep your blood sugar levels consistent.
If you’re doing more of a cardio-based workout i.e. a long run or bike ride, then eat yogurt as well as some nuts and dried fruit-based fillers. They won’t upset your stomach and will give you the little kickstart your body needs.
The good sugars from dried fruit give you that much-needed energy boost and the nuts will stop your insulin level from dropping mid-workout.
The only thing to remember is, don’t overdo it when it comes to the seeds and nuts, they are very high in fat so you could end up feeling bloated and slow as you sweat because of the amount of time they take to digest.
As a snack suggestion for the journey to the gym, try a smoothie. Mix slices of your favorite fruit with a cup of Greek yogurt (and some granola if you like it thicker!).
If you’d rather buy one then there are a couple of things to look out for, the first is that it is made with whey or milk-based proteins and the second is not to go too over the top with the amount of protein in it. 10g to 20g of protein will be sufficient.
Post Workout Meals
After your workout your body is in recovery mode so it is essential to get as many nutrients as possible.
Chicken is great as it is full of lean protein that won’t leave you feeling bloated and adding some mixed vegetables roasted in olive oil will not only taste great but get you all of your essential vitamins.
Another great idea to promote muscle recovery and growth is an omelet, we all know how great eggs are for that so if you put together a vegetable omelet and garnish it with some slices of avocado (for fiber and monosaturated fats) then you’re sure to get everything you need.
One of the greatest properties of avocado is its ability to help your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients from vegetables, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Alternatively, if you aren’t a fan of eggs, or just want something a bit more substantial than vegetables then try salmon with sweet potato. Salmon is renowned for its bioactive peptides and small protein molecules to help reduce inflammation and regulate insulin levels giving you joint support.
The sweet potatoes are there to restore the glycogen levels that will have dropped during your workout.
Wrap-Up
Your pre and post workout meals are seriously vital when it comes to reaching your goals!
From helping you fuel up correctly so you can kill your workouts to helping you build muscle, these meals deserve your attention! Fuel up and recover quicker!
- Tips For Your Pre & Post Workout Meals - October 23, 2020
- How to Build Muscle at Home - October 2, 2019
