Nutritional Advice for when you are physically active.

I often get the question, “What do I eat before, during and after exercise and when is the the best time to eat?” This is an important question. What you eat and when can essentially change the outcome of your workout session. The fuel you feed your body can determine whether you have a great workout or a lousy workout. But there are some important factors too. The intensity and duration of your exercise session be, the time of day when you exercise and your daily nutrition habits?

BEFORE EXERCISE: First off you should definitely have at least a little something before you exercise, even if it is first thing in the morning. Ideally you would eat 1 hour before your workout, but if you don’t have that much time, then 20-30 min is alright, as long as it is something that is easily digestible. Since glucose is the main energy source you will use, make sure whatever you have has a good amount of carbohydrates. Suggestions are a piece of fruit, whole wheat bread, or an energy bar.

DURING EXERCISE: What you eat and when will be determined on how long you exercise. If you are exercising for longer than 90 minutes, then it will be important to refuel your body with nutrients (either solid or liquid) to be able to keep up your energy levels and perform well. There are many different products that are made specifically for this purpose such as sports drinks and energy bars and gels. What we recommend

AFTER EXERCISE: Post-workout nutrition is equally important, so make sure that you at least have some sort of carbohydrate 15-20 minutes after your workout. Try a piece of fruit. Then within 2 hours you should have a meal/snack that consists of a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein in order to get the maximum benefits and proper recovery from your workout session. What we recommend

What you eat before, during and after your exercise really can make a difference in how you feel overall, even when you are not exercising. How? By not fueling yourself properly before exercise you will quickly drain your body of nutrients causing a huge drop in the effectiveness of your workout and you will not get the benefits as you would if you were properly fueled. If you don’t get the proper AFTER workout nutrition, your body won’t get the nutrients it needs to rebuild muscle. This could leave you sore, lacking energy and unable to workout as well as you could during the next session. So pay attention to what you are putting into your body and treat it as an important aspect of your workout because it will certainly make a difference!