Fuelling your workouts
Working out is only one side of the coin when it comes to weight loss, or getting fit. A balanced diet plays a crucial part in your success. Your body needs the right food to provide the energy you need to accomplish your fitness goals.
Watching what you eat while on a workout regime helps you achieve faster results. There are, however, certain foods that are more beneficial than others and contain the right ingredients.
Fuelling your workouts is all about the right combination of foods, pre and post workout. These foods not only prepare you for your workout, but also allow you to recover faster from a rigorous session at the gym.
Pre workout – To eat or not to eat!
A common dilemma surrounds fitness enthusiasts - should one workout on an empty stomach or should one eat before a workout? Well, working out on an empty stomach will increase your fat burning rate. However, due to insufficient carbohydrates there is a good chance that your body will turn towards muscle to fuel your workout causing loss of muscle mass.
Muscle mass is important as it burns calories amongst many things. The body burns six calories per pound of muscle; therefore, loss of muscle mass will eventually lead to negative results.
Complex carbohydrates
These are foods high in fibre and raise blood sugar levels over a period of time. These release energy and make you feel full for longer. Foods that contain complex carbohydrates are whole grains such as brown rice and bread as well as bran cereals.
Complex carbohydrates help your body release energy, slowly and constantly. Therefore, they make for a good pre workout food that provides the energy needed to successfully complete your workout. Complex carbohydrates are extremely effective should you aim for long cardio sessions.
Protein
The primary ingredient to build muscle, protein is essential pre and post workout. Consumption of protein pre workout particularly enhances results of weight lifting. It additionally provides the power for strong muscle contractions.
Protein can be consumed in the form of a protein shake or as part of your diet. Foods high in protein and amino acids such as eggs, chicken and tuna are usually low in fat.
Post workout, protein is very important as it helps rebuild muscle fibres. Furthermore, inadequate levels of protein post workout, will lead to a slow recovery, which could lead you to avoid the gym for extensive periods at a time.
Post workout
Post workout, it is crucial that your body gets all the ingredients it needs to recover including a balance of carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates will help make up for the energy lost during your workout while proteins aid in muscle recovery.
A mixture of vegetables in your post workout meal is also highly recommended. Some healthy choices are super foods such as broccoli and spinach. Broccoli is high in fibre and contains significant amount of calcium and magnesium, which help regulate blood pressure. The high fibre content keeps you feeling full and helps you avoid over eating. Broccoli also contains vitamin C, which not only helps maintain your immune system but also acts as a natural antioxidant eliminating free radicals from your body.
Spinach can be an acquired taste for few but its health benefits are off the chart. One cup of spinach is only forty calories, while it is high in fibre and meets your bodies’ daily requirements of vitamin K and A. Spinach promotes good cardiovascular health by reducing cholesterol in the body. Furthermore, it also contains Kaempferol, a strong antioxidant that stops cancerous cells developing in the prostate.
Throughout your day
Green tea
You can incorporate certain drinks that increase your metabolism to promote fat loss such as green tea. The flavanols in green tea help cleanse free radicals in your body and promote weight loss. Three cups a day should help you reach your weight loss goals faster.
Spices
Try including spices in your meals throughout the day. Cayenne peppers have a thermogenic effect on the body and increase metabolism and stabilise blood pressure levels in the body. The high levels of antioxidants in cayenne peppers give it a deep red colour. These antioxidants help rid waste in the body and free radicals.
Another simple spice that you can incorporate in your daily meals is the humble black pepper. Fresh ground black pepper is extremely effective in increasing metabolism and aiding digestion.
