What should you eat before and after your workouts?

Your food is your fuel! It is important to feed your body the proper food so you can function at your best.

Before your workout:

Eat your carbs! 

Carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source. They are also the quickest form of energy. As soon as they are ingested, they are turned into energy that will feed your muscles and brain. By eating 30-40 grams of carbs one hour before your workout, you are giving your body readily available energy to use. Without this, you will run out of glycogen stores and quickly feel tired and flat.

Simple vs complex carbohydrates:

Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly, resulting in blood sugar and insulin levels rising rapidly. These are usually foods that are processed and high in processed sugar, such as sodas, white bread, and lollies. These will give you a rapid increase in energy, however a large energy crash later on. Eating plenty of simple carbohydrates causes our blood sugar, and consequently, our insulin to rise a lot. This can lead to fatigue, tiredness, and an inability for our body to control our weight due to developing insulin resistance. Complex carbohydrates, such as seedy breads or a banana, will be digested more slowly. This results in keeping you fuller for longer and having energy for longer.

Will doing fasted cardio make me burn more fat?

The short answer is no. There is an old misconception that if you do your cardio on an empty stomach, you are using your body’s fat stores as energy, resulting in fat loss. However, recently this has been debunked by many studies. Of which found no long-term differences in fat loss, in fasted vs non-fasted cardio. However, many people enjoy doing cardio fasted. This can be for reasons for the individual such as routine, energy preservation, etc. At the end of the day, find what fits best for you and your body!

After your workout:

Protein!

Protein feeds your muscles to rebuild and repair the tissues. We generally have a window of about 30 minutes after our workout where our muscles need to be fed! If we don’t eat post-workout, we risk becoming fatigued later on, our muscles becoming weaker, cramping, dehydration, etc. A popular post-workout choice is a protein shake. This is because “Whey” Protein is a fast-acting protein that makes its way to your muscles quickly to repair the damaged tissues. So, this can be a great option if you’re looking to build some muscle and recover quickly! However, a balanced high-protein and carb post-workout meal is just as great. Carbohydrates are also important post-workout to regenerate the energy that was used during the workout!