Playing sports is one of the main ways to transform your body and make it more slender and attractive. However, in order to get the desired results in the shortest possible time, it is not enough just to expose your body to regular physical activity. Nutrition is of great importance in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and normalizing all internal processes. What, when and how you eat will determine the effectiveness of your activities and the state of the body. An important role is played by nutrition after the end of a workout, when the body is in good shape and is able to absorb much more nutrients and turn them into energy, while getting rid of unnecessary deposits that have a negative impact on the figure and well-being. Let’s figure out what kind of nutrition should be after a workout, and what kind of products should be preferred in order to always stay in great shape and mood.
Basic principles of nutrition after training
As you know, during a workout, especially one that involves intense power loads, the muscles are severely damaged and need to be restored. This will require energy and protein, which acts as the main building material for muscle tissue. In addition, both during and after exercise, body fat is burned, which is the main source of energy.
If your goal is not only to maintain muscle tone, but also to get rid of excess weight through physical activity, then you need to carefully monitor your diet, counting the number of calories that have entered the body. In order to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body burns during exercise. However, you should not completely refuse food, adhering to strict mono-diets that exclude all products from the menu except for one. Remember that your body will need a lot of energy to perform the loads and further recovery, which can be obtained with the help of vitamins and nutrients contained in various foods.
If we talk directly about the food that should be present in your diet, then preference should be given to natural and healthy products that do not contain dyes, flavors, emulsifiers and flavor enhancers, which are often used in the modern food industry. As a rule, such food additives are present in large quantities in semi-finished and canned foods, so it is recommended to exclude them from the diet. As for fast food, fast food is also one of the forbidden dishes that you must refuse if you dream of becoming the owner of a beautiful, toned body and a healthy body.
Training time and nutrition
There is a basic list of foods recommended for use after a workout, which we will talk about a little later, however, do not forget about the time of training, which has a direct impact on the absorption of nutrients by the body.
If you are exercising yourself in the morning, then the best food for you will be any foods that are rich in carbohydrates. It can be a banana, muesli, yogurt or tea with honey. It is not recommended to exercise on an empty stomach, so try to eat a nutritious, but low-calorie meal shortly before the start of the activity and some time after it ends.
If you’re training during the day or evening, make sure you get enough protein by eating protein-rich foods as a source of energy and muscle recovery. Give preference to vegetable protein, as it, in most cases, is found in low-calorie foods that are among the dietary and recommended for use even during the diet.
As for the time recommended for eating after a workout, it all depends on which foods you prefer. Some of the nutrients are recommended to be consumed immediately after the end of the session, and some only after 20-30 minutes after its completion. If you have not eaten within two hours after training, then its effectiveness and efficiency will decrease significantly, severe muscle pain and weakness will appear. This can cause you to skip the next class, and all your previous efforts will be meaningless.
What to eat after a workout
Within 20-30 minutes after training, it is recommended to eat food rich in carbohydrates and proteins, since this is the period considered optimal for the absorption of proteins and fast carbohydrates. After the end of physical activity, the so-called protein-carbohydrate window opens in the body, allowing almost all the nutrients that have entered the body at that time to be included in anabolic processes.
Carbohydrates
Let’s start with carbohydrates, which are best consumed in the form of simple foods with a high glycemic index after training. This will raise the level of insulin in the blood, which has anti-catabolic and anabolic properties. Please note that, lacking carbohydrates, the body begins to use muscle tissue as energy, destroying them under the influence of catabolic processes, and training will not bring any results. To maintain vitality and recovery for a person involved in sports, 60 to 100 grams of carbohydrates are enough.
The main sources of carbohydrates are cereals such as buckwheat, oatmeal, pearl barley and wheat, as well as rice, pasta, bran bread, flower honey, bananas and freshly squeezed juice. Also useful for the body during this period will be vegetables, namely cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, leeks, radishes, lettuce and greens.
Squirrels
The body needs protein to repair muscles, so it should be consumed either immediately after the end of the workout in the form of a protein shake, or after 30 minutes, combined with carbohydrate-rich foods that will speed up the process of protein absorption by the body. It is better to give preference to a fast protein, supplementing it with a gainer, which is a source of both protein and carbohydrates. This will increase the rate of protein synthesis several times and will have a positive effect on muscle condition. The amount of protein that the body needs after intense physical exertion is 20-30 grams.
You can get enough protein from dairy and sour-milk products, such as cottage cheese, low-fat kefir and hard cheese, from eggs, lean meat and poultry, from low-fat fish and mushrooms. Any foods rich in protein are recommended to be steamed or boiled to preserve their beneficial properties.
What should be abandoned
If you want to get the maximum positive effect from sports, you must not only use the right foods, but also to abandon those that have a negative impact on the recovery processes and the functioning of the body. These include any fatty food, as fats slow down the absorption of carbohydrates and proteins and prevent them from getting from the stomach into the bloodstream, turning them into unwanted body fat. You should also eliminate or minimize the use of foods containing caffeine in their composition. It has a bad effect on the process of insulin production and thus does not allow the body to fully consume protein, slowing down the recovery of muscle tissue.