Heading to the gym? Here's what you need to eat before, during and after your workout session
| May 28, 2019, 11:28 IST
When you head for a workout session you need to remember that the more calories you burn, the more healthy foods you'll have to eat to make up for all that lost energy. This means you need to eat the right things before your workout session, during it and even after it. “Adequate food and fluid should be consumed before, during, and after exercise to help maintain blood glucose concentration during exercise, maximize exercise performance, and improve recovery time. Athletes should be well hydrated before exercise and drink enough fluid during and after exercise to balance fluid losses.”
“You don’t have to adhere to a rigid schedule and there are no hard-fast rules,” said Riska Platt, M.S., R.D., a nutrition consultant. “But there are some things you should do before, during and after you work out.”
Before your workout: You need to fuel up - If you don't eat the right things before your workout session then you're not going to have enough energy to do your workout. Make sure that you drink water to stay hydrated and eat healthy carbohydrates such as whole-grain cereals, whole-wheat toast, low-fat or fat-free yoghurt, whole grain pasta, brown rice, fruits and vegetables. It is also important to avoid eating saturated fats and super healthy proteins.
During: Take a short break - Platt added that when you're working out it is important to constantly keep taking sips of water to stay hydrated throughout the session. However, if your session is only about one hour long, you don't need to eat anything. But if you're opting for high-intensity workouts, it's best that you eat 50-100 calories worth of food such as bananas or raisins every half an hour.
After: Refuel - Platt recommended refuelling with lots of fluids like water and fresh orange juice. She also added that one should consume carbohydrates so that your muscles can make up for all the energy they've lost and proteins to help repair and grow your muscles.
It's important to remember that these are just general guidelines and, “a lot depends on what kind of workout you’re doing,” Platt said. Well, depending on the type of exercise and workout routines you opt for you could figure out meal plans that work best for you. Stay tuned for more updates.
“You don’t have to adhere to a rigid schedule and there are no hard-fast rules,” said Riska Platt, M.S., R.D., a nutrition consultant. “But there are some things you should do before, during and after you work out.”
Before your workout: You need to fuel up - If you don't eat the right things before your workout session then you're not going to have enough energy to do your workout. Make sure that you drink water to stay hydrated and eat healthy carbohydrates such as whole-grain cereals, whole-wheat toast, low-fat or fat-free yoghurt, whole grain pasta, brown rice, fruits and vegetables. It is also important to avoid eating saturated fats and super healthy proteins.
During: Take a short break - Platt added that when you're working out it is important to constantly keep taking sips of water to stay hydrated throughout the session. However, if your session is only about one hour long, you don't need to eat anything. But if you're opting for high-intensity workouts, it's best that you eat 50-100 calories worth of food such as bananas or raisins every half an hour.
After: Refuel - Platt recommended refuelling with lots of fluids like water and fresh orange juice. She also added that one should consume carbohydrates so that your muscles can make up for all the energy they've lost and proteins to help repair and grow your muscles.
It's important to remember that these are just general guidelines and, “a lot depends on what kind of workout you’re doing,” Platt said. Well, depending on the type of exercise and workout routines you opt for you could figure out meal plans that work best for you. Stay tuned for more updates.