Your body needs nutrition to remain healthy and free from various diseases. When you workout daily for hours, it is all the more important that you have nutritious food to get enough energy for the workouts. So, you must pay special attention to the food that you have. To get the best results from workouts, you need to have nutritious and well balanced food. Pre and post workout nutrition is very essential. If you want to lose the excess fat from your body, avoid having fast food, and take in food containing protein, carbohydrates etc.
Weight loss program is something that many of you follow in order to lose weight and get a slim body. While you do not mind the workouts that you have to undergo, many of you do not want to follow the diet plan associated with it. Who would like to leave his/her favorite food and consume boiled vegetables and foods with less oil and spice? But there are many salads for you, which are delicious to taste and help you lose weight. They also provide you with enough protein that you need. This diet is not at all difficult to follow and with time you will even start to like it.
Here are some pre and post workout nutrition foods that you can have in order to remain healthy and slim:
Foods to Eat Before Workout:
The meals that you take before you go for a workout are the pre workout meals. This food provides you with the energy needed to carry on with your workout for hours. So, this meal is also called as the energy phase. Having a pre workout meal is very important because after the workout there is a reduction in the levels of cortisol, muscle glycogen and a breakdown of protein. This meal helps in keeping all these well balanced and provides you the protein necessary for you.
Before you have pre workout meals you must consider a few things like how many hours before the workout should you have the meal and what kinds of food will give you the proteins and carbs that you require. The answer to this is quite simple and you need not spend much time in preparing this meal.
Here is a list of what food you can take before the workout:
Almond milk: You may have almond milk before you have the workout. Remember not to add any sugar to this milk.
Bananas: Having banana, to which butter is added, is an excellent way to get the protein that you need when you do the workout. Bananas also provides you instant energy. You can easily keep it in the bag and have it whenever you feel like having it.
Carbohydrate gel: This is a nutrition gel and this provides you with the carbs you require during the workout.
Protein shake: Protein shake is a drink that most of the people engaged in sports and other rigorous activities take in. It is filled with protein and supplies you with the protein that you require on a workout session.
Sports drinks: Having this drink provides a lot of electrolytes that you need, thus making you energetic.
Smoothie: Smoothie is an energy drink and provides you the energy and nutrients that you require. You can make it with fruits and coconut water. Mix 8 oz of coconut water with fruits like bananas, strawberries etc and a little of fresh ginger. Mix all of them well to get a smoothie.
Foods to Eat After Workout:
Post workout meal is known as the anabolic phase and includes the meals that you take in after you have had a workout. long hours of workout depletes all the energy from your body. This meal provides you the energy that you have lost during the workout and the nutrients that your body requires.
Post workout meal reduces the muscle protein breakdown, soreness of the muscles, fatigue and also increases the synthesis of muscle proteins and cortisol levels. An all-round recovery of the body is made by consuming post workout meals.
Here are a few post workout meals for you to choose:
Chicken stir fry:
Chicken stir fry provides the carbohydrates that you need. It is rich in lean protein, niacin and many other nutrients essential for your body. Having this provides the glucose that your muscles require.
Dried fruits and nuts:
Fruits and nuts are good for your body and are full of proteins. They are one of the best food items to have after a rigorous workout. They are easy to keep in your bag and you may have them whenever you need.
Salmon with mashed potatoes and salad:
Like tuna, salmon is also a store house of omega 3 fatty acids. When you add mashed potatoes to salmon, the dish that you get becomes very rich in glucose as well. So you will get carbohydrates that give you glucose by consuming salmon with mashed potatoes.
Tune and whole wheat crackers:
This food is a rich source of proteins and omega 3 fatty acids and at the same time low in calories. So, it an excellent food after a workout and provides you with the protein you need.
Toasted whole wheat bagel with almond butter:
Whole wheat is always good for your health and contains more calories and carbohydrates. Almond butter is a rich source of potassium and electrolytes, which help in muscle contractions. It is also needed for maintaining proper levels of the hormone required for the production of protein.
The meals discussed above are good to taste and contains all the nutrients that you need before as well as after a good workout. So, try some of them and you are sure to love it.