• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

FITaspire

Health & Wellness

  • Health & Wellness
  • Nutrition
  • Recipes

5 Food Rules You Need To Follow After Exercise

May 24, 2016 By Heather Blackmon

.

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to speak on Dave Smith’s Make Your Body Work podcast, talking about macronutrients and weight loss. If you haven’t already heard that episode, you can listen (or read the transcript) here.  As a follow-up to that interview, Dave offered so share his perspective on the importance of post-workout nutrition with you. We touched on this topic in the podcast interview, but this article will dive deeper into this topic and help you make the most of your post-workout meal.

******************

So let’s set the scene.

You’re on your last mile. Only one more mile to go, and you’ve finished.

As you come up to the finish line, you feel a sense of completion! You’ve finally finished your sixty minute cardio session.

You’re feeling great. You’re sweating (who doesn’t love a good sweat), you’re huffing and puffing, and dopamine is being pumped throughout your brain. What a rush!

But now what?

5 Food Rules You Need to Follow after Fitness. Make the most of every workout by following these rules. It's much easier than you may think!

A little stretching maybe?

And then?

Once you’ve finished an exercise session, your body requires certain foods that will aid in its development and progress. You don’t want to feed your body “bad fuel,” so picking the right type of food is crucial to increasing your body’s overall health and performance.

After a workout, there are a number of things that’re going on inside your body. On the outside, you see sweat and heavy breathing, but on the inside, hormones are being produced, blood is on the move, and your body is working hard to replenish the fuel sources you just burned up.

At this particular time, while all these things are happening internally, your body is geared to receive a very specific set of nutrients. Here are 5 post-exercise food rules you need to follow in order to support your quest to become healthier, stronger and fitter.

Rule #1: Combine Protein and Carbohydrates

Two of the main macronutrients that your body requires after a workout are protein and carbohydrates. Protein, made from amino acids, is the building block for muscle growth. Your body needs protein to repair the damage done to your muscles during exercise. Without protein, your muscles will never fully repair on increase in strength and size.

Carbohydrates are also important because glycogen (i.e. energy stored within your muscles) is depleted when you train. The carbohydrates you eat after exercise are converted to blood sugar and are transported to your muscles. Mission complete!

Needless to say, it is very important to eat a source of protein to repair muscle damage and carbohydrates to restore depleted glycogen levels after your workout. However, not all protein and carbohydrate sources are the same. Some are high-quality, while others should be avoided.

Foods such as egg whites, tuna, and Greek yogurt contain high amounts of quality protein. There are also many options of protein powders that you can use for a quick protein boost, although many such powders are heavily processed and should be avoided.

I recommend this pea protein powder because it is natural and is very easily digested and absorbed by your body.

For carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains such as oatmeal will do the trick.

[Tweet “Don’t forget both protein and carbs after fitness! #fitfluential #nutrition”]

Rule #2: Say “Yes” to High Glycemic Foods

The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly foods are converted into blood sugar. This is important for anyone interested in weight-loss or weight maintenance because high glycemic foods can trigger fat storage. That’s why some diet are founded strictly based on the GI rating of various foods.

This might have you thinking that high GI foods are “bad” – this just isn’t the case post-workout.

When you’ve finished exercising, your body is tired, depleted and in need of the right nutrition as quickly as possible. This is one time when you can feast on high GI foods without worry. High GLI foods such as yams, potatoes, rice, carrots, and squash are all high GI foods that fit the requirements for a fast-acting post-workout source of high quality nutrition.

Rule #3: Skip the Processed Options

Not only is important to be aware of the foods that you eat after a workout, but it’s also equally as important to know the foods that you should stay away from.

For example, a frozen pizza contains protein (especially if it comes with meat toppings), carbohydrates, and is quite high GI. Sounds perfect, right?

Not so fast.

Convenience foods like pizza are heavily processed, which usually means that much of nutritional benefits have been stripped away. They also tend to be made with low-quality ingredients, chemicals, and many preservatives that your body doesn’t need, whether post-workout or at any time of the day.

Rule #4: Drink MUCH More H2O

Did you sweat during your workout? If not, step it up next time!…

And then drink up.

You’ve heard this a million times – your body needs water to function. But do you know just how much you actually need that water?

Even after you’ve finished working out, your body’s temperature can continue to rise, and will stay elevated for up to several hours. As a result, you may continue to sweat and your body will continue to use water at a faster rate than normal.

“Well, how much water should I drink?”

Good question. Since everybody is different in size, shape, and body composition, there isn’t a set-in-stone amount of water that will be shed during every workout. With that being said, there are a few good rules of thumb you can follow:

  • Drink 3-4 cups of water within two hours before you begin your workout
  • Drink an additional 1 cup of water every fifteen minutes during your workout
  • Drink at least 3 cups immediately following your workout

It takes a bit of intuition, however you’ll be able to feel whether or not you need more water after an exercise session. And, you can always use one final test to know if you’ve hydrated enough:

“Drink until your pee doesn’t stink.”

[Tweet “Are you drinking enough water? 5 Food Rules for after #Fitness. #nutrition”]

Rule #5: Find Your Fats

A lot of people have a negative perception towards dietary fat. It’s unfortunate that we’ve learned to equate dietary fat with the “jiggly stuff around our stomach” to the point where low-fat diets have been considered good practice.

The facts tell a different story.

Dietary fat is extremely important for your body. Some of the healthiest populations in the world are ones who regularly eat high-fat foods such as coconuts, certain oils, and fatty meats. On top of that, healthy fats are amazing for keeping your hunger levels in check after an exercise session.

Leave out the fat from your post-workout meal and you’re likely going to feel famished within just a couple of hours.

The healthiest forms of fat come from food sources such as avocados, coconuts, egg yolks, and nuts. These are natural foods that are easily digested by most people and are extremely satiating. Yes, the calorie count of higher-fat foods can seem like a lot, but the positive impact on your blood sugar and future food cravings is well worth this caloric investment.

Now that you know what to look for in your post-workout meals, fuel up to ultimately become a stronger, healthier, fitter YOU!

 

About the Author

Dave-Headshot-FB

Dave Smith is a professional fitness and weight-loss coach who was chosen as “Canada’s Top Fitness Professional” in 2013. He shares awesome health & weight-loss tips through his blog and podcast that you can find at makeyourbodywork.com.

 

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: Fitness, Guest Post

« 5 Life Lessons from Running and Duathlon Racing
4 Tips to Plan A Triathlon Training Weekend Getaway »

Search the website

Welcome

Hi! I’m Heather, a yoga & wellness teacher based in Colorado... Read More…

"Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleano "Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt

What scares me is probably different than what scares you.

I am admittedly a timid mountain biker - but getting better every day.

I'm afraid to face plant, but still working on crow pose in yoga.

⬇️ What is one thing that scares you & how are you working on it?
.
.
.
.
.
#mountainbiking #mtbiking #mtbdaily #mtblife #seemyadventures  #allaboutadventures #sheisthewild #mountainlife #liveyouradventure
Am I the only one still (basically) living in yoga Am I the only one still (basically) living in yoga clothes?

For at least part of the day, it's just easier to put on yoga pants, sports bra, and a "zoom-appropriate" top. Or a button-up layered over my workout tank. It makes it SO much easier to squeeze in a workout when I have time.

Tell me I'm not the only one who's not going back to work clothes?!
.
.
.
.
.
.
#vail #yogalifestyle #yogaliving #vaillife #vailcolorado #mountainlife #vailvalley #outtherecolorado #mountaingirls #womenofthewilderness #womenwhoexplorecolorado  #lovethelifeyoulive #vaillive
Wait, should I look at the camera? 📸 But reall Wait, should I look at the camera? 📸

But really, keep your gaze straight ahead to keep your neck safe in bridge (or Setu Bandha Sarvangasana). It's rare that a version of this pose isn't included during cooldown in my classes.

Do you love bridge as much as I do?
.
.
.
.
.
.
#asana #goodvibes #bridgepose  #energy #feeltheyogahigh #happymindhappylife #myyogalife #letyourlightshine #letyourpranaflow #coloradoyogalove #coloradoyoga #practiceyoga #yogajourney #yogalifestyle #yogaliving #yogamakesmehappy #yogapractice #yogatime #ipreview via @preview.app
"Every ending is a beginning. We just don't know i "Every ending is a beginning. We just don't know it at the time." -Mitch Albom

Last Friday, we ventured to a trail near Carbondale for the most beautiful ride with huge wildflowers everywhere. It was a great trail with good climbing, plenty of flow in the middle, and A LOT of switchbacks on the descent. Our first 2 hour ride of the season and it was a blast!

I didn't know it at the time, but it was also the last ride on my Liv mountain bike - because I got a new bike on Sunday! ✨

If you're in Colorado & in the market for a new bike, I highly recommend Over The Edge in Fruita. I test rode 6 bikes & then took the Pivot Mach 5.5 out on the trail to be sure it was the right one. Great experience!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
#adventurespirit #alltrails #mountainvibes #mountainaddict #mountainadventures #mountainbiking #mtbiking #mtbdaily #mtblife #seemyadventures  #womenofthewilderness #womenwhoexplorecolorado
Follow on Instagram

Connect with FITaspire:

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
© 2021 FITASPIRE, LLC · TICKLED PINK THEME BY RESTORED 316