Pre and Post Workout Nutrition
Do you eat prior to your training session? How do you refuel post workout?
If you answered no to the first question, then this is the post for you. A pre-workout a meal should consist of all three micronutrients at least TWO hours prior to training. That’s right…a protein, a carbohydrate, and a healthy fat. If you cannot get a meal in at least two hours prior to training, that’s ok; just be sure to get something in your system that is light and not going to cause gastro intestinal issues. A good meal two hours prior to a training session for paleo athletes would be 2 to 3 ounces of Lean Meat, 1 small banana, some almonds, and black coffee. The coffee will help keep you going as well as help you burn fat. If it is less than one hour prior to exercises and you want a little something in your stomach, go for egg whites and ½ of a banana. Both are soft and will be easy on your stomach. You should avoid anything fibrous prior to exercise or else you will find yourself looking for the nearest port-a-potty or bush. That means stay away from broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, pineapple, peaches, grapefruit, etc prior to exercise.
Post workout nutrition is just as important as your pre-workout meal. Depending on the duration of your workout you might decided to go right into your next meal of the day or you may decided to have some sort of “shake”. The most important part is to get the meal or shake in, no more than 30 minutes after exercise. If you decided on the meal, you should consider 2-4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein. Personally, I like to incorporate a healthy fat as I have found that works best for my body. I know it may not be Paleo, but I have found that 2-3 tablespoons of whey protein have worked better for me than egg white protein powder. For example, my latest concoction post workout has been, ½ cup of mashed sweet potato, 2Tbsp of Whey Protein, 1 cup of Almond Milk, dash of cinnamon, ice, and a little bit of water. I blend this all up in my Magic Bullet and all I can say is that it is DELICIOUS.
Don’t forget to hydrate…remember 1 Liter of Water for every hour of exercise.
Give these tricks a shot and hopefully you can take your training to another level!!
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