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The Importance of Nutrition Before and After Workout

Individuals often ask for recommendations on the types of food to consume before and after their workout. The reason for this is that an individual’s food intake and its proportions before and after hitting the gym are important in the growth and recovery of the muscles. Nutrition before and after a fitness routine is the key to developing lean muscle and getting rid of unwanted fats.

Nutrition before Work Out
Eating a good meal before working out can significantly impact a person’s endurance, stamina and strength while exercising. The is quite possibly the best pre workout supplement you can get in lieu of shakes and powders. While most people put their focus on post workout meals, fitness experts say that this can do more harm than good. It has been shown that people who eat before workout can stay longer in the gym and do more routines than those who exercise on an empty stomach.

Because of the time required for digestion, people are recommended to eat an hour or two before working out. The right meal should combine simple carbohydrates and protein plus a good amount of water. The recommended sources of simple carbohydrates include fruits and vegetables. A small amount of complex carbohydrates may also be added in the form of oatmeal, yams or brown rice. To obtain the right amount of protein, eating eggs or drinking protein shake will suffice. A low sugar protein bar is also a great way to eat something that combines carbohydrates and protein in one. Finally, drinking plenty amounts of water before working out is highly essential. This helps in preventing low levels of energy and cramps during training.

Nutrition after Work Out
An individual’s nutrition after workout is as necessary as the meal taken before workout. Post-workout meals must only consist of carbohydrates and protein. The right timing for this meal is about half an hour to one hour after working out. The best sources of protein at this time are a combination of whey protein shake, eggs, chicken and fish. All these are easily absorbed by the digestive system which makes them effective in providing the most important nutrients to the muscles.

Carbohydrates are also essential as they help restore the glycogen needed by the muscle to prevent its breakdown after working out. The right sources of carbohydrates such as brown rice, wheat bread and oatmeal are necessary to move the nutrients to the tissues of the muscles in the quickest possible time.

Summary
Proper nutrition before and after work out is very important. Without it, a person’s efforts to muscle building may just be useless. Thus, careful planning of one’s meals is a must for the achievement of one’s workout goals.

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4 Excuses For Not Being Healthy

We all know the benefits a healthy lifestyle can bring; eating right and exercising can reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease and even cancer as well as improve your overall quality of life. If it really were as simple as just eating the right food and getting exercise on a regular basis there wouldn’t be a problem. The reality is not everyone can find it this easy, so why do some people struggle to lead a healthier lifestyle?

Excuses

The number one reason most people find not to be healthy is they have an excuse, they either don’t have time to cook healthy meals or they don’t like the taste of vegetables, they’re asthmatic and can’t exercise or they have flat feet so they can’t run (these are all excuses an old flat mate of mine used to use to justify being morbidly obese). The fact of the matter is there’s no excuse, you do have time to cook even if you cook at the weekend and put it in the freezer for the month, and healthy eating is more than just vegetables and anyone can do some form of exercise.

Ignorance

Maybe ignorance is a strong word but it really is surprise how many people don’t know what constitutes as healthy. It can be confusing if you read the papers on a daily basis, we’re always been told we should be eating so much of one thing and less of another, there’s always the latest fad diet or exercise that seems to work wonders (for about a week). Just trust your common sense, you know that a glass of water is healthier than a glass of coke and you know taking the stairs is better than taking the lift.

Cost

It doesn’t cost money to be healthy, gym memberships cost money and fancy pre packed salads cost money but being healthy does not. You might think it’s cheaper to just grab a burger from a fast food restaurant rather make your own lunch each day but this isn’t true. Buying your vegetables individually rather than pre packed is much cheaper and you get more for your money. Cooking your own dinner from scratch rather than using store brought sauces or frozen meals is so much healthier, cheaper and tastes better too, once you know what you’re doing. It doesn’t cost anything to go for a jog round your local park or workout in your own home.

Time

The one advantage that ready meals and takeaways have over home cooked food is time, it’s a lot quicker to grab something already made than it is to cook your own food from scratch but this doesn’t mean you don’t have time to be healthy. As I’ve already mentioned, you can easily cook a few meals at the weekend when you do have a bit more time and leave them in the freezer for the week. Invest in a slow cooker so you can throw all your ingredients in before you leave for work in the morning then you’ll have a delicious meal waiting for you when you get home. If you take the bus home from work get off a stop earlier and walk that extra ten minutes, it will soon add up.

Jessica works for JTX Fitness who can help anyone get into shape with an extensive collection of exercise and fitness equipment