Nutrition after training is considered an essential part of the nutrition program when you decide to exercise. Some chemical changes happen in the body’s metabolism while training and only your proper nutrition will help you get healthy. A quick recovery after exercise is the primary goal of the post-workout nutrition program. All personal trainers in North York believe that a comprehensive training program always includes post-workout nutrition tips.
Post-Workout Nutrition
In general, nutrition after exercise and physical activity can maximize the workout benefits in the body, and if you don’t pay enough attention, workout even can harm your body.
Personal trainers recommend eating a light meal or snack two hours after exercise. Consuming high-calorie foods and carbohydrates immediately after training can increase the body’s insulin sensitivity. Increased insulin sensitivity helps the body quickly absorb sugar from the bloodstream and store it in muscles and other tissues. Then your body can use the stored sugar as energy, causing high blood sugar and increasing the risk of diabetes.
Research has shown that many aerobic exercise benefits depend on post-workout nutrition. But as personal trainers say, you do not need to starve yourself in the meantime. Eating low-calorie foods does not increase insulin sensitivity, even compensate for the number of calories we lose during exercise. So try to consume low-calorie food after training, and this will not harm the benefits of exercise. The consumption of high-calorie foods such as carbohydrates (potatoes and chocolate) can harm the body, especially for people who want to lose weight.
But people who decide to increase their muscle mass can consume some carbohydrates, protein, and a small amount of fat two hours after exercise, but excessive carbohydrates and fat consumption after training will harm your body. These include pasta, whole grain bread, fruit, and yogurt.
Eating small amounts of carbohydrates, such as fruit or juice, about 15 minutes after exercise helps to restore glycogen in the muscles.
Personal trainers advise that consuming 100 to 200 grams of carbohydrates within two hours after the workout helps build enough stored glycogen for the next training session. If it gets longer than two hours, the amount of glycogen stored in the muscles is reduced up to 50%. After exercise, protein intake also produces amino acids needed to rebuild muscle tissue because muscles may get damaged during intense and prolonged exercise. The amino acids in protein improve the immune system and make a person resistant to colds, flues, and other infections.
Always remember, to have a proper body, exercise is not the only thing you need, and the pre and post-workout nutrition are as crucial as training. So, to increase the exercise’s benefits, you always need to pay enough attention to your diet.
Keep in mind that people are different. Some foods may work for you, while others may be harmful, especially during or before exercise. Try different foods at various times to see how your body reacts. Try to have a notebook and write down every workout experience to compare which tips work best for you.