Exercise Nutrition: How To Keep That Energy Up!
by Kathryn O'Neill
zone3
How many times has this happened to you?
>> You psych
yourself up mentally (you are GOING to do it!)
>> You don the
outfit (you can practically feel the energy flowing through your veins!)
>> You lace up the running shoes (Nike: Just Do It - that’s
you.)
>> You grab your towel (because ANYONE SERIOUS needs a
towel).
Then it’s time.
It’s time to sweat. It’s time to
burn the evil fat from your body. You face the treadmill (or stair
climber, or rowing machine, or exercise video with the perky aerobics
instructor on it).
And you start.
You warm up, and start
moving faster and faster. The sweat starts to pour. The blood is pumping.
Man, you are burning! That size 2 exercise instructor is going to look
like a whale compared to you when you get through!
The adrenaline
hits your blood and you feel GREAT! You could exercise forever! In fact
maybe you will exercise forever!
Your time winds down. Ok, maybe
you’d better slow down, no sense in going TOO crazy here. The cool down
sure feels good. You turn off the treadmill, or the exercise video and
head to the shower.
Then it hits you.
EXERCISE
REPERCUSSION.
You feel like you want to die, or at least sleep for
about 12 hours. You go through the day craving anything you can easily
grab: anything edible or, depending on how good it looks, anything at all.
Nutritional value? Who cares!
But nothing seems to satisfy you and
you could swear that you’ve just eaten all the calories you burned during
exercise PLUS more!
What was the point in exercising at all if you
go through your day tired and eating everything in sight? It was just a
waste of your time and a stress on your body for nothing
right?
Well, not necessarily, not if you can learn from it. Here's
how to avoid the above experience when exercising:
1) Check Your
Hydration Levels
(I know not really exciting—but it will do
wonders!!)
The average adult loses 10-12 cups of water a day
(that’s not including water we lose from exercise, caffeine, etc).
It’s estimated that approx 75% of North Americans are chronically
dehydrated. And even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as
much as 3%.
And here’s the key, all you exercisers: Lack of water
is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue!!!! Unfortunately this fatigue often
gets mistaken for hunger and we eat more than we need in a desperate
effort to get that water back into our bodies.
What can you do?
Before your workout: drink 1-2 glasses of water
During your
workout: Have about ½-1 cup of water for every 20 minutes of
exercise
After your workout: Have at least 3 cups of water in the
hour after you exercise.
2) Check Your Pre-workout Nutrition
Since you want energy over the long haul, your best bet is to try
having some complex carbs before you exercise (like oatmeal, whole wheat
toast, or whole wheat crackers).
Some people prefer to get their
carbohydrate from fruit also, it depends on what works for you.
Try to combine this with a little bit of protein (like peanut
butter on your whole wheat toast, or a couple slices of cheese with your
apple). Try different combos and see what gives you the most
energy.
3) During your workout:
If your workout is under an
hour: Make sure you keep drinking that water and continue to listen to
your body.
If you want to go more than an hour you should try
eating 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrate every half hour (i.e. From sports
bars, fruits or whole grains).
If you are exercising for more than
3 hours you should consider sipping a sports drink to replace lost
electrolytes. Both sports drinks and energy bars help to maintain your
blood sugar levels and prevent muscle glycogen (energy)
depletion
4) After exercise:
Keep drinking that water! (See
above) You also want to refuel with carbohydrates as soon as you can after
exercise (toast, bagel, fruits, oatmeal, etc.)
Your body not only
needs to refuel but it also needs to rebuild with some protein since
intense exercise involves the breakdown of muscle tissue.
Some
possible snacks are: Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat
toast, cottage cheese mixed with fruit, scrambled eggs with whole wheat
toast.
The most important thing is to pay attention to your body
and feel what works for you as you exercise. If you feel light-headed or
dizzy or in pain at any time during exercise stop! Respect your body and
what it tells you.
Hopefully the next time you decide to face the
treadmill (or the exercise video) you’ll be able to feel great both during
AND after you exercise.
You’ll be able to feel as if you’ve made
your body better and stronger, by feeding it and exercising it and keeping
that energy up!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nutrition Related Articles:
 Calcium: the Miracle Mineral
Is Your Bread Slowly Killing You?
Nutrition Tips to Improve Fat Loss
Benefits of a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables
Don't Allow Your Food To Control You!
Exercise Nutrition: How To Keep That Energy Up!
Heredity Is Not Destiny: Do Health and Weight Problems Run in
Your Family? It May Be Habits, Not Genetics
Just Say No to Carb Phobia
Healthy Eating Tips For Busy Women
In Excess of Portion
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