Without a doubt, what you eat and when you eat affects your exercise performance. A wisely selected sports diet helps you feel stronger, train harder and see better results. Exercise demands a lot from your body and you should fuel your muscles with the right nutrition, especially prior to and following exercise. Providing your muscles with good nutrition prior to exercise gives you more energy to workout longer and harder, and good nutrition following exercise allows for faster recovery. Without the right nutrition, you’ll end up feeling chronically fatigued and jeopardize your performance. Here are a few tips to help you on your way to a better workout, better body, and better overall health!

1. The best fuel for muscles is CARBOHYDRATES! Carbohydrates are the only type of nutrient that is stored in the muscles for fuel. It is stored in the form of glycogen and glycogen is the fuel used by the muscles during exercise. When you deplete your muscles of glycogen and do not replenish them, you feel exhausted. Never cut carbohydrates out of your diet!
2. Simple carbohydrates are good fuel for your muscles following exercise. Simple carbohydrates (like in fruit and juices) are great to provide to your muscles right after exercise. They digest quickly and after exercise will go straight to your muscles to replenish glycogen. Eat as soon as possible after exercise. Usually people are not hungry after exercise. The best thing to do is consume simple carbohydrates (1 cup 100% juice, 1 banana) within 30 minutes following exercise and then have a meal consisting of complex carbohydrates and protein 2 hours later.
3. Avoid refined carbohydrates as much as possible, especially right before exercise. Examples of refined carbohydrates are candy, <100% fruit juices, regular soda, jellybeans, and dried fruit. These types of carbohydrates are very concentrated in sugar and all this sugar tends to go into your bloodstream very quickly and all at one time. The body compensates by secreting the hormone insulin, which removes the sugar from the bloodstream so that the concentration of sugar in the bloodstream is normal. However, when insulin has removed excess sugar from the bloodstream and your start exercising at the same time, the result is low blood sugar. You may feel dizzy, fatigued, shaky, nauseated, and uncoordinated. These are not the best symptoms to have when you are trying to workout.
4. Complex carbohydrates are the best fuel for your muscles, especially before a workout. Examples include breads, cereals, whole grains, pasta, bagels, oatmeal, beans, potatoes, rice, vegetables, and crackers. These carbohydrates are low in sugar and take longer to digest. The end result in digestion for complex carbohydrates is sugar, but the release of sugar into the bloodstream is much slower and less insulin is secreted and more sugar is available for cells and muscles to use. These foods make you energized during workouts and eating complex carbohydrates prior to exercise will spare the amount of glycogen that has to be used in the muscles, allowing you to work out harder and longer.
5. Do not over-consume protein. Protein is a poor source of energy for muscles and too much protein before exercise can cause upset stomach. Also, when people consume more protein foods, they tend to consume fewer carbohydrates, which can hurt performance. Keep protein intake to approximately .5-.8 grams per pound of body weight per day. Never go over 1.0 gram per pound of body weight per day. Another rule to use for protein needs is 20% of your total calorie needs.
6. Consume protein and carbohydrates at every meal and snack. Protein helps stabilize blood sugar and carbohydrates will provide fuel for your body during exercise. A good ratio is 3 grams of carbohydrate for every 1 gram of protein. Examples would be 2 slices of bread, 1 apple, and 1 yogurt. Another example would be 1-cup cereal, ½ banana, and 1-cup milk or 3 ounces chicken, 1 large baked potato, and 1-cup vegetables.
7. Eat a snack 1-3 hours prior to exercise. Snacks should be between 200-400 calories and contain complex carbohydrates and a small amount of protein.
8. Avoid fatty meals prior to exercise. Fat takes up to 6 hours to digest and can make you feel sluggish and heavy during exercise. Overall, it is not wise to consume high-fat meals period. These types of meals can cause adverse effects on weight, cholesterol levels, body fat levels, and digestion. An adequate amount of fat per meal prior to a workout would be between 0-5 grams. Other meals should be no more than 30% of the calories eaten. For example, for a 300-calorie meal that would be about 10 grams of fat.

*For futher information or assistance, please contact Nutrition Care Division @ 596-1762!