We all know that it’s not good to exercise on an empty stomach. But it’s also not smart to exercise on a full stomach, especially one full of all the things that hinder your exercise performance. So what kinds of foods will help improve your exercise? If you usually exercise for a long time, what should you eat during and after to replace all of the calories you burned? Here is a quick guide to the kinds of foods that will benefit you the most when exercising.
BEFORE
Before you exercise, you don’t necessarily need to eat any food. Most of the energy that you use when exercising comes from the fat and carbohydrates that are stored in your muscles and fat cells, not the food you eat right beforehand. Don’t feel like you need to eat before you exercise if you aren’t hungry.
However, some people should have a snack before they exercise, whether for health or other reasons. Make sure you eat snacks that have a few main characteristics. Foods should be low fat and low fiber. You don’t want to put a lot of fat and protein into your body right before you exercise, since neither can be broken down fast enough to convert into useful energy for your body. Stick with foods that are easy to digest and that contain liquids. Don’t choose whole grain carbs which digest slowly. Drink fruit juice, fruit smoothies, or sports drinks. Eat fruits like pineapple, banana, and mango, or pretzels and bagels. If you are a fan of energy bars, choose ones that have 3-5 grams of protein and very little fat.
DURING
If you exercise for just a short period of time, you don’t need to have a mid-work out snack. However, when exercising for longer than 90 minutes you will need to eat something in order to delay fatigue. If you eat carbohydrates while you exercise you will prolong the amount of time you can continue to exercise without getting too tired by nearly 60 minutes.
When you do eat carbohydrates during your exercise, the body is prompted to produce more insulin, which is needed in order to use the energy stored in carbohydrates.
You need to consume carbohydrate-rich foods when snacking during exercise. Bananas, apples, pretzels, cheerios, and raisins are great in-between-exercise foods to snack on that won’t make you feel full and sluggish.
AFTER
Right after you exercise, you have about an hour window in which your muscles are craving nourishment. Your body needs two things: amino acids and carbohydrates. Protein is made from amino acids and is needed to help build up muscles, bones, and other vital parts of your body. Important amino acids are used up when you exercise and they need to be replaced. Eat meats, chicken, fish, eggs, or even whey protein powder in order to replenish your amino acids.
The other thing your body needs after working out is carbohydrates. Unlike before you exercise, afterward is a great time to have a full meal. Eat brown rice, quinoa, or fruits and vegetables.
The next time you are at the grocery store, take this list with you and pick out some snacks for before and during exercise, as well as foods to create a full, balanced meal (rich in amino acids and carbohydrates, of course!) for after. You should see gradual, but noticeable differences in your stamina and your body.
About the author: Julia is a writer passionate about health, fitness & blogging. When she’s not running her dog she can sometimes be found writing about Sono Bello, cooking and a myriad of other topics.
Many aspiring muscle builders are often misled in their quest for building muscle mass and an athletic physique. Reading false information or getting wrong advice from other people are some of the reasons. Without the right knowledge, you’re doomed to go in the wrong direction and this can also impede your muscle building efforts. Here am talking about several muscle building myths which can’t be further from the truth but yet some people do believe them.
Myth 1 – You need to go to the gym to build muscles
This is one of the most funny myths out there. Whoever says this has no clue what they are talking about. Muscle building can be done anywhere either at home or in the park. You don’t necessarily need weights or high-tech machines to build muscles. Bodyweight training can also be done. Push ups, pull ups, dips, bodyweight squats, lunges are exercises which don’t require any fancy machine and equipment. The most important thing is to perform resistance training which stimulates your muscle fibers. Some people have built great bodies without ever stepping in a gym.
Myth 2 – You need to do curls to get big arms
Curls are a great exercise to build mass in your biceps but they are not the key to big arms. Your biceps is a small muscle and only accounts to 1/3 of your arm muscles with 2/3 going to your triceps. So if you just focus on curls and don’t work your triceps enough, you won’t get big arms. But one important thing you need to know is arm exercises alone won’t build big guns. You need to increase your calorie intake as well from nutritious foods and gain weight. If you don’t gain weight, your arms won’t get any bigger. You can’t weigh 150 pounds and get 18 inch arms.
Some people believe the key to big guns is curls and will perform endless curls at the gym in every workout session. After they get a good pump, their arms look bigger due to blood flowing to their muscles but it’s only temporary. Later on, they will get back to their original state. A downside to doing curls in every workout is this can lead to overtraining and the latter will hinder muscle growth. Muscles grow when resting not when training.
The key to big arms is to eat lots of quality food, perform isolation exercises like bicep curls and tricep extension plus adding a good mix of heavy compound exercises in your workout sessions like bench press, rows, deadlifts, military press. This is the ultimate way to grow those eye-popping guns.
Myth 3 – You can’t build muscles without supplements
Whoever tells you that should be using supplements day in and day out without focusing on proper nutrition revolving around real foods. Supplements can definitely assist you in your muscle building goal as sometimes you can’t have a proper meal and supplements come in handy as a meal replacement or for post-workout nutrition. But they are not an absolute MUST for muscle building. If you get your nutrition right and eat high-protein foods like eggs, fish, chicken, beef, cheese, milk and so on, there is no reason why you can’t build muscles. Supplements are actually derived from food like milk and eggs. The key to building muscles is to get your protein and amino acids intake whether it’s from whole foods or supplements but the building blocks of your nutrition should rely on real foods most of the time. So don’t listen to this nonsense and eat your food.
There you have it. You should not believe everything that you read or hear. Do your own research or get advice and guidance from knowledgeable people.
About the author
Jean Lam is a health and fitness enthusiast and has a passion for body building, weight training, calisthenics as well as diet and nutrition.
Is a lack of funds preventing you from getting in shape? Well, it doesn’t have to be the reason you haven’t dropped those last 15 pounds. Truth be told, you can spend thousands of dollars (and many people do) and not lose more than 2 pounds in 6 months. But there is a way to get fit once and for all without breaking the bank to do it. No gym membership required – promise. Here’s how.
Borrow Workout DVDs
Your library is a budget minded person’s goldmine. You’d be surprised to find the number of exercise DVDs (not VHS tapes) that libraries are carrying these days. You should be able to borrow them for at least a week at a time. Library polices vary so check yours for details.
Fitness Magazine Workout Routines
As I mentioned, your local library can be key to getting in shape at little to no cost. Take an afternoon and look through back issues of popular fitness and health magazines. Take note of the routines that match your current fitness level and/or goals. Many offer their readers at least two routines per issue.
Get Healthy Low Calorie Recipes on the Cheap
I know. Broken record, already, but borrow cookbooks from the library and record your favorites. If you are dying to get your hands on the latest bestseller and your local library does not carry it then don’t worry. All is not lost. You can use WorldCat to request an interlibrary loan. Your librarian can walk you through this process.
Walking, Running, and Bicycling Clubs
These free clubs are available in most major cities. You can find them by contacting your local YMCA or specialty store. Clubs are usually year-round and newbies can join at no cost. If there aren’t any in your area then create your own club by announcing it at Meetup.com.
Free Online Workouts
ExerciseTV.com is a great resource for free online workout videos. Workout lengths vary so you are sure to find something despite your busy schedule. They also include fitness tools to help you reach your goals. Additional features are available for a small monthly fee.
Have a Few Dollars to Spend?
Look to resale sporting goods and discount bookstores and for exercise videos and fitness equipment to create your own personal gym. You should be able to set up a basic mini-gym with 3 sets of free weights and 3 brand new exercises videos for less than $150.00.
About the Author
Sara Giblin enjoys writing about healthy lifestyle tips, hints, and reviews of fitness gadgets like heart rate monitors.
Acne is one of the most common problems among men and women. Though teenagers are seen to be suffering from acne, you can also spot it in young adults too. Dermatologists are the only saviors for all these people and medical drugs cure acne and other skin problems. Hormonal imbalance is said to be one strong reason behind acne and hormone changes and their activity will affect the sebaceous glands. Sex hormones androgen and estrogen can have profound effects on oil glands and acne is the first disorder you will face. Medical drugs might not be of much help and if you want to get rid of the problem, then you must take the acne hormonal imbalance treatment.
For all those people whose hormonal levels are irregular, this is a special treatment that brings hormones to their normal levels and makes the skin clean and free from acne. Though the acne hormonal imbalance treatment is said to be perfectly alright for people without producing any side effects, a few people are skeptical about it.
Since the treatment is completely based on correcting hormone levels, people fear that the entire body too undergoes changes and their health is affected. This is completely wrong and the acne hormonal imbalance treatment is aimed at the sebaceous glands. These glands are corrected by inducing anti-oxidants to reduce their activity and help them in producing the right amount of oil. You can rest assured about the acne hormonal imbalance treatment and need not worry about any side effects.
One thing that many people don’t know is birth control pills are prescribed to women suffering from acne problems. Since these pills regulate the hormones in women, they show their effect on acne too and get rid of pimples on the skin. For men, a decent amount of corticosteroids and anti-androgens are introduced orally. They will work the same way as the birth pills and lessen the acne problem.
Many dermatologists usually ask people to take anti-oxidants to purify the blood and improve the overall health of the skin. People who have a lot of toxins in the body usually suffer from acne breakouts and nothing seems to reduce the problem. But regular intake of anti-oxidants purifies the blood and flushes out all the toxins from the system. This too is a part of acne hormonal imbalance treatment and it is administered to people who suffer from mild acne. Severe forms of acne must only be treated by correcting the hormone levels in the body.
Before you start the therapy, it is advisable to consult your dermatologist and check if your skin can take it or not. Without an expert’s help, never resort to acne hormonal imbalance treatment. Otherwise, the treatment is very effective for acne.
About The Author
Jean Lam has a passion for fitness and health and likes writing articles on how to get rid of acne and skin care.
