Healthy Eating
To stay healthy, it’s important that you exercise regularly. But to exercise well, you should also eat properly. Eating provides you with the energy you need for your exercise and activities. For that reason, you need to pay attention to what you eat before and after your exercise.
For your exercise, you need to consume enough carbohydrates and protein. They are necessary to give you the exact kinds of energy you need. The right percentage of carbohydrates and protein for you is determined by the kind of exercise you do, whether it’s resistance or cardio exercise.
The right time to eat is about one hour before your exercise. The amount of calories you consume depends on the intensity of your exercise. The higher the intensity of the training, the higher the calories you need to consume.
If you plan to do cardio exercise, then you need to consume more carbohydrates than protein. It’s safe to say that you need to consume about twice as much carbohydrates than protein. This extra carbohydrates will give you the level of energy you need while also give your muscles enough protein.
On the other side, if you plan to do resistance exercise, then you need to consume more protein than carbohydrates. This will give you enough protein your muscles need.
Eating after your exercise is just as important as eating before it. After your exercise, your body needs glycogen to replace that which is lost during the exercise. If you don’t replace the glycogen, the body may turn your muscle tissue into other form that can replace the lost glycogen. This will have adverse effect on your muscles.
After resistance exercise, you mainly need protein for muscle repair. Enough protein will prevent break down of your muscles after you exercise. After cardio exercise, on the other hand, you mainly need carbohydrates. Normally, you need to wait at least 15 minutes after your exercise before you eat. This way you won’t take blood too suddenly from your muscles.