What to eat before, during and after training. What to eat after training

The article goes into detail about pasta dishes and the role carbohydrates play in your muscle progress.

The content of the article:

Many athletes will say that you should never eat pasta, because it can leave a significant mark on your figure. What if this is not true? Some people do not perceive fish or pork as proteins. Likewise, others may not perceive potatoes and rice as fast carbohydrates before a workout. Let's talk in more detail about the use of pasta when playing sports.

The need to use pasta in sports

This effect occurs due to enzymes. These are the so-called special compounds in the body that are responsible for obtaining energy after eating. And paradoxically, some people secrete enzymes that “love” potatoes and rice, and some people like pasta and other foods. Therefore, it happens that after one meal a person feels cheerful, and after another, on the contrary, sleepy.

Therefore, we can say with certainty that we get energy only from food. But which brings more strength and which brings less - all this needs to be calculated using the method of individual selection. It is advisable to devote some time to yourself and your needs. It is clear that this will take a lot of time at the first stage, but in the future you will know exactly what to consume and what not.

One large serving of pasta contains almost 30 g of carbohydrates, and slow carbohydrates, which then will not “go” to the fat mass, contrary to all the assurances of nutritionists. This is not a sweet product, which insulin immediately turns into subcutaneous fat. Thanks to pasta, energy is released slowly enough, so the body will not feel tired for a long time after eating.

From a scientific point of view, it is impossible to get better from pasta, as many people think. Of course, this does not mean that you need to eat 1 kg per day, you can simply pamper yourself with one serving, especially before training. You can take the Italians as an example. This is a nation where pasta is the queen of all dishes. And what? Is this nation considered fat?

Rules for eating pasta by athletes

It is best for an athlete to eat pasta 1-2 hours before training. How many carbohydrates the pasta contains is written on the package, so before eating it is best to calculate how many grams of carbohydrates you need per 1 kg of weight, and then multiply the number by the number of kilograms. When there is an urgent need to build muscle, athletes can consume 5 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg. The portion, of course, will not be small, but it’s worth it.

Many people can’t even imagine how to cook pasta without putting a huge piece of butter in it. Yes, oil adds a pleasant taste sensation, but an athlete should never eat pasta with oil - the effect will be slightly different. It is better to find a variety of vermicelli that will be pleasant to the taste and without “fat content”.

Features of choosing pasta

Before choosing pasta, you should pay attention, first of all, to the color of the pasta. It should be dark yellow, but not white. Since white pasta cooks very quickly, it has an unpleasant taste and does not provide anything useful to the body. There are also dark pastas that are made from dark flour - so don’t be alarmed.

There have been cases when simple pasta did not give any effect to the body of athletes. That is, on the contrary, there was a loss of strength. But when the athletes tried pasta made from “live” dough, the result was simply amazing. Pasta made from live dough can be bought in the store, or you can prepare it at home.

The good thing is that pasta is a relatively inexpensive product. There are, of course, different varieties and types of pasta, but here you should not listen to the slogan “more expensive means better.” Pasta (it costs more) contains more protein, but it is not so necessary, because athletes often consume protein shakes and lean meat in large quantities, so there is more than enough protein in the body.

Pasta recipes for athletes

Below are a few pasta recipes to get you started in eating pasta.

Pasta and tuna casserole

So, the ingredients:

• Tuna, canned in a jar (200-300 g);
• Pasta (pasta - 150 g);
• 50 g hard cheese;
• 450 g canned tomatoes (chopped);
• Onion (1 large onion or 2 small ones);
• Several small cloves of garlic;
• Seasonings (pepper, dried oregano, and more can be selected to your liking);
• Olive oil;
• Salt (preferably sea salt);
• A small piece of ciabatta bread or pita bread.

Next, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Peel the onion and garlic and transfer it to a blender to chop. Remove the chopped onion and garlic onto a plate. Then we cut the bread and also send it to the processor, add seasonings to it, 1 tbsp. l. olive oil, salt and pepper. Then chop it, but not very finely. Now you need to grate the hard cheese.

Next, put chopped onion and garlic, a little olive oil, a little spices in a hot frying pan and fry until the onions are cooked. Then you need to add the chopped tomatoes to the frying pan, add a little water and simmer for about 10 minutes.

After the sauce is prepared, you need to add tuna to it. Then mix the pasta with the sauce and place it in a special baking dish. Place the crushed bread mass and hard bread on top. Then put in the oven for 25-30 minutes. And that's it, the dish is ready!

Pasta bows with chicken and vegetables

• 2 cups bow-shaped pasta;
• Boiled chicken fillet, chopped (2 cups);
• 1 small zucchini, cut into slices;
• Chopped champignons - one and a half cups;
• Red pepper (sweet) - 1 pc. You need enough to make about half a glass;
• 3 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 50 ml lemon juice;
• 2 tbsp. l. white wine or chicken broth;
• Grated hard cheese - 50 g;
• 1 tbsp. l. dry basil.

1. If you take half a kilogram of pasta, then there should be +/- 5 liters of water in the pan.
2. Add pasta to boiling water only. If you do this earlier, they will simply stick together.
3. The pan should not be covered with a lid.
4. You need to add salt to taste (generously), otherwise under-salted pasta is not a very tasty product.
5. Even if you cooked the pasta for as long as indicated on the package, still check its readiness yourself.

An active lifestyle requires a person to have a special diet. Only in this case can you achieve the results for which, in fact, people come to the gym. There are plenty of ways to combine exercise and proper nutrition.

Healthy food after training

Post-workout meals should include proteins and carbohydrates in a certain ratio, which depends on the load.

After aerobic training, the proportion of protein to carbohydrates is 40:60. Carbohydrates are needed to restore glycogen, “muscle fuel.” One hour of medium training requires up to 40 g of carbohydrates, intensive – 50 g or more for each hour of exercise.

During strength training, the ratio changes: the body requires 60% protein and 40% carbohydrates. In this case, protein prevents muscle breakdown and promotes tissue renewal.

Post-workout nutrition also depends on the time of day. Morning exercise requires eating a lean protein meal about an hour after completion. The evening menu should be the same, depending on the time of exercise.

Fat is undesirable in any case. Coffee, cocoa and chocolate are also not recommended for two hours. Coffee lovers who work out in the morning have to wait two hours to drink their favorite drink.

On the other hand, you cannot abstain from food for a long time, even if it is food at night. A break of more than two hours, according to nutritionists, negates physical activity. Eating on time, on the contrary, is beneficial - both weight increases and muscles are restored.

Healthy post-workout food:

• dried fruits and nuts;

• yogurt and fresh berries;
• fresh fruit;
• canapes with cheese;
• sandwiches with dry meat;
• omelette with bread;
• milk with cereal;
• protein bar.

The right food, taken on time, is the key to the effectiveness of physical exercise.

Healthy post-workout recipes

Post-workout meals exclude fats and cholesterol, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The priority is clean, still water, which replenishes moisture losses that are inevitable during physical activity.

Healthy post-workout recipes:

• Fitness cocktail

Blend 100 mm each of orange juice and milk, 50 ml of yogurt, and half a banana in a blender. Take low-fat dairy products.

• Diet sandwich

On a slice of bread, put a leaf of lettuce, a piece of turkey fillet, brush with avocado puree prepared in a blender, and cover with chopped tomato on top. This sandwich is called a California sandwich.

• Fitness smoothie

Pour boiling water over the oatmeal, and after ten minutes the excess water is drained. Milk churned with pineapple is mixed with oatmeal. Per serving, take a quarter cup of oatmeal, a cup of milk, and three-quarters of a cup of chopped pineapple.

• Curd-peach mousse

Mash the fruit, beat the whites until foamy, add 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese, stir the mixture gently.

• Dried fruit cookies

Grind 100 g of dried apricots and prunes, 50 g of raisins in a blender, add cashews and whipped egg white. Make cookies from the mixture and bake at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

• Airy dessert

Beat 100 g of cottage cheese, add a handful of muesli and a finely chopped apple; mix, add honey.

• Fruit salad

Chop an apple, two plums, a few grapes, season with honey and yogurt sauce.

Post-workout food for weight loss

Immediately after exercise, hormone levels increase and metabolism accelerates, due to which calories in the body continue to be burned for another half hour. You can’t eat at this time, and, as practice shows, you don’t really want to. After all, the body does not immediately establish the digestive process.

Food after training is consumed about thirty minutes later; it should contain enough proteins, but a minimum of fats and carbohydrates. At this time, the so-called “carbohydrate window”, when food replenishes energy reserves, stimulates muscle growth and prevents the formation of fat reserves.

Proper weight loss occurs when the body receives no more calories than it expends, but no less than it needs for life. After exercise it is useful to eat:

• egg white,
• low-fat homemade cheese,
• kefir,

• chicken,
• white fish (boiled or steamed).

Eating after a workout for weight loss saturates the body and at the same time is not stored in reserve, since proteins are unable to turn into fat. If you completely refuse food, the body will experience severe stress and will begin to burn its own muscle cells, rather than fat reserves.

It is equally important to drink plenty of water after exercise to replenish the reserves used up during sweating. It is estimated that in an hour of intense exercise, about a liter of water is lost.

If classes take place in the evening, shortly before bedtime, then for dinner it is useful to eat only light dishes: homemade cheese, kefir, vegetables with olive oil.

Post-workout food for bulking

If the goal of fitness exercise is to build muscle, then both regularity and eating after exercise are of great importance. The power supply is as follows.

• It is necessary to seize the moment to use the metabolic window that opens half an hour after stopping exercise. Abundant consumption of protein-carbohydrate dishes during this period ensures active absorption of nutrients and muscle building.

The best post-workout food options for gaining weight are a protein shake and homemade cheese. These products are easily digestible, and this is exactly what the body needs: it wants to get its “here and now”. Thanks to this menu, muscle recovery will take place and there will be no unwanted deposits in fat depots.

Sports nutritionists especially warn against consuming fatty foods and caffeine-containing drinks at this time, which are “unauthorized” involved in the activity of glycogen and do not contribute to muscle renewal.

Post-workout food for muscle growth

Without the right food after a workout, the body has nothing to build muscle from. This requires three factors:

• energy (carbohydrates),
• building protein (protein),
• providing vital functions (vitamins, minerals).

There are rules that must be followed to achieve the goal.

• Do not eat fatty foods after training for muscle growth.
• It is useful to eat often, in small portions.
• If fat accumulates instead of muscle, you should eat less sweets and move more.
• It is important to listen to the body and its characteristics.

After physical activity, the body first restores the energy necessary for the functioning of important organs and systems. Therefore, the first portion of food, after showering and changing clothes, should contain carbohydrates. It could be porridge or fruit.

The next meal should consist of proteins. Evening activities, after which there is no time to eat twice, require a special approach: dinner should combine both carbohydrates and proteins. This combination is observed in simple dishes: buckwheat porridge with fish or omelet, a cup of milk, an apple.

Sometimes a special regime is required. If the body is not gaining weight well, then during the day you should eat a lot of both carbohydrates and proteins: meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, vegetables, cereals.

If the body is prone to excess weight, then in the first half of the day it must be saturated with carbohydrate and protein dishes, minimizing fatty and sweet foods. For the evening, dietary dishes are quite enough: low-fat cottage cheese, chicken breast, vegetables and fruits will be very useful.

Meal after training in the evening

Meals after training in the evening should be rich in protein and slow carbohydrates; A low-calorie but nutritious menu is recommended. Before going to bed, it is useful to eat rice, chicken, cottage cheese, as well as fermented milk drinks, cheeses, seafood, and herbal teas. You need to eat heavily until your hunger is satisfied, but do not overeat.

Some foods that are healthy during the day are not suitable for dinner after exercise. They can negatively affect metabolic processes, sleep, and figure. It is not advisable to eat eggs, mushrooms, high-calorie meat, cocoa and coffee, fatty and sweet foods in the evening.

• Many foods should be completely excluded from the diet of a person training to gain muscle mass. The list of prohibited items includes pasta and semi-finished products, packaged soups and sausages, and all GMO products.

Nutrition after exercise is a very important part of the sports program and should be given maximum attention. If a full dinner is not possible, then sports nutrition, for example, whey protein, will help support the body.

The ideal nutrition option after an evening workout is cottage cheese, consisting of casein: it effectively nourishes muscles with amino acids, promoting their growth. Natural cottage cheese can be replaced with a pre-purchased casein mixture.

Food at night after training

Sports activities require increased nutrition, regardless of the purpose of the activity. The appetite that appears as a result of active exercise is beneficial if the body receives timely and proper food after exercise.

• To restore the fluid balance disturbed due to increased sweating, you need to drink plenty of water - clean water, unsweetened green tea or berry juice.

To obtain energy, fat reserves are first used, so in the first hours the process of weight loss occurs. But protein is needed to restore muscles, and it can only be supplied to the body through food. The best late dinner product for an athlete is homemade cottage cheese. The portion should be moderate - up to 150 g. Half a liter of kefir is also a good food for the night after training.

There is a state when you really want to eat and can’t stand it. It is recommended to “kill” the unpleasant feeling of hunger with kefir, an apple or enough drink (water or unsweetened tea).

The main principles of rational nutrition are relevant not only on training days, but also in everyday life. They are simple: eat a little healthy food, don’t eat anything harmful at all. In our case, unhealthy foods are floury, fatty, and sweet.

Protein meal after workout

If the daily protein intake is calculated under normal conditions in the ratio of 1 g per kilogram of body weight, then with intense exercise this amount doubles. Firstly, protein is needed for muscle recovery, and secondly, for the transport of oxygen, which is also required more during exercise. To make a correct calculation, it is important to know how much protein is contained in foods and how well it is absorbed by the body.

• Complete animal protein contains meat, fish, dairy, seafood, and eggs. Every 100 grams of these products contain 15-20 grams of protein, so meals based on them are an excellent post-workout protein meal.

It should also be taken into account that food after training should be low-fat: chicken fillet, but not legs, egg whites without yolks, veal - better than beef and pork. The same applies to dairy products

Only fish can be fatty, since it is saturated with healthy fats, but it should not be eaten fried. There is a unique measure of protein food: it is enough to eat a portion that fits in the palm of your hand.

The best post-workout food

There are many recipes for post-workout meals because nutrition depends on the individual, needs and type of training. But there are general principles of nutrition after training.

So, it is advisable to eat within two hours after class. If classes were carried out on an empty stomach, then you need to eat quickly. If the workout is scheduled for the afternoon and you have eaten well, then you don’t have to rush to the table. If there is no feeling of hunger at all, then it is recommended to drink a smoothie.

For an ordinary person who does not claim any special sporting achievements, high-quality food and a balanced diet are enough.

Regarding the so-called anabolic window, which supposedly opens after physical activity for the absorption of proteins and carbohydrates, some experts deny its existence and propose a diet without taking this period into account.

Best post-workout food:

• protein dishes, cocktails;
• vegetables;

• carbohydrate products (carbohydrate, cranberry juice, fruits, cereals, pasta, bread, rice);
• fats (teaspoon),
• water.

Men need approximately two cups of the listed products; women are suitable for the same products, but in smaller quantities. In each individual case, the body may desire different foods, and its desire should be listened to.

To achieve what you want, you need to correctly combine the intensity of your exercise and diet: do not go to extremes, do everything without fanaticism, listen to your own desires and well-being. The body will tell you what kind of food after training it will like.

Immediately after training, you need to eat food within 20-30 minutes. Post-workout nutrition plays an important role in restoring strength and energy. You can drink a protein shake and eat fast or slow carbohydrates; now simple carbohydrates are allowed. It is advisable to avoid fats after sports activities in the next hour.

During this period, the protein-carbohydrate window opens and it is important to enrich the body with sufficient reserves of nutrients, vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates so that anabolic processes in the body function correctly for active muscle growth.

The role of carbohydrates after exercise

Carbohydrates provide the body with energy. During the period after training, a deficit of carbohydrate reserves forms in the body and muscle tissue begins to break down under the influence of catabolic processes. It is advisable to eat fast carbohydrates. It is necessary to increase insulin levels for the normal course of anabolic and anti-catabolic processes.

Depending on the intensity of your activities and weight, the norm is 60-100 carbohydrates.

Foods containing carbohydrates

• Buckwheat
• Pearl barley
• Oatmeal
• Durum pasta
• Bread, bran
• Bananas
• Fresh Juice
• Honey (small amount)

The role of protein after exercise

A protein shake is best for muscle recovery after exercise. Add 5-10 grams of BCAA supplement to your post-workout diet. BCAA contains 3 essential amino acids that are very beneficial for muscle fibers. Protein synthesis in muscles increases 3 times if you consume protein foods for the first time 20-30 minutes after the gym.

Foods containing proteins

• Chicken fillet
• Turkey fillet
• Egg whites (boiled or scrambled)
• Seafood
• Cottage cheese 0.5% fat
• Lean meat
• Protein dishes

Post-workout menu options

1. Buckwheat with fish, salad with herbs and green tea.
2. Rice with chicken fillet, cucumber, tomato, onion, compote.
3. Barley porridge with lean meat, radishes, carrots, vegetable or fruit juice.
4. Pilaf, fresh vegetables, jelly.
5. Durum pasta with chicken, 1 apple, green tea with lemon.
6. Cottage cheese 0.5% with sour cream 5%, oatmeal cookies with milk 0.5% fat.

Immediately after all physical exercise:

• Creatine - the best time for it to be absorbed is after the gym. The norm is 3 grams to restore all processes.
• Water – up to 900 ml to restore balance in the body.
• BCAA (BCAA) - approximately 3-10 grams to protect muscles from destruction (catabolism) and enhance the anabolic process.
• Glutamine – approximately 3-5 grams, is involved in the synthesis of muscle proteins, a source of energy, strengthens the immune system, and helps recover after physical activity.

In 20-30 minutes (we will secure the information)

• Carbohydrates – 50-90 grams, preferably complex ones.
• Proteins – 20-30 grams, animal origin or protein shakes.

Additional tips:

• Sleep - take a 1 hour nap after the gym, only to benefit the recovery processes in the body.
• At the end of the main workout, do a cool-down to calm your body.
• Massage – improves muscle tone and blood circulation, improves mood.

Recovery after exercise

Recovery plays an important role in the growth of muscle fibers. You need to rest for 24-48 hours after another workout. If you neglect this time and go to work out earlier, this will lead to the destruction of muscle fibers, because they will not have time to fully recover. If you want quality muscles, then rest well.

1. Take a cool bath. Scientists have concluded that a cool bath and a contrast shower after physical activity reduce muscle pain and the body recovers better. Due to the temperature difference, blood vessels contract and expand, while waste products in the tissues are washed out.
2. Avoid overtraining. Constant overload in the gym or in any other training sometimes only leads to injuries and poor results. This is because the muscles do not have time to recover and cannot progress. Do it once every 2 months for a week with -50% loads. This will allow the body to rest and recuperate properly. If you are over 25 years old and you are not going to sacrifice your health for the sake of medals, then train at 80-90% of your maximum. After all, our body is like the engine of a car, if it is constantly overloaded, then sooner or later it will “overheat” and break down. Therefore, train for many years and do not push a little, this way you will maintain the health of your bones, joints and the body as a whole.

3 day program for muscle growth

When developing a training plan, it is necessary to separate muscle groups on different days and there is no need to train the same muscle group 2 times a week. 1 day is enough for a good, hard, strength training.

An approximate training system for muscle growth and maintaining shape, 3 times a week.

• Day 1 – pectoral muscles, cardio exercises (exercise bike).
• Day 2 – back, biceps, legs, abs, cardio exercises (exercise bike).
• Day 3 – shoulders, triceps, cardio exercises (exercise bike).

Perform 2-3 exercises for each muscle group and 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions. Rest between sets for 2-5 minutes, depending on the intensity of the workout and your goals.

Take care of your health, eat well after training, and your physical shape will be super.

After training, a brutal appetite wakes up. This is normal: the body demands to replace what it just spent - energy. To restore it, you need calories, that is, food. In order not to negate the results of intense exercise, it is necessary to organize proper nutrition: specifically determine what you can eat after training.

Why you need to eat after a workout

The best time to eat after a workout is the first 20-40 minutes, so it’s good to prepare food in advance so as not to miss this wonderful period. Why wonderful? Here's why. Immediately after training, the so-called anabolic window (or carbohydrate-protein window) opens in the body for the most beneficial consumption of proteins and carbohydrates (not fats!). The absorption of these nutrients occurs in these minutes 3-4 times faster than usual. This is due to the powerful energy consumption during physical activity. This ability persists for those 20–40 minutes, which are commonly called the anabolic window. Everything you eat during this period of time will be purposefully used to restore muscles, and not a single calorie of what you eat will go to fat. This is extremely important.

Another reason for the advisability of eating food immediately after training is that intense physical activity provokes a kind of stress in the body and an increased release of hormones (the most famous of which are adrenaline and cortisol).

Hormones rearrange metabolism so that stress does not cause excessive damage to the structure of the body and energy (they take care), they transform the biochemistry of the body into a different way, in which a person receives a special mood, feels sports excitement and a surge of strength. If you don't eat after training, i.e. If you don’t give the hormones a signal that everything is over, everything is fine, then their effect will continue for a long time after exercise. And this is fraught with the fact that the body will continue to retain everything possible and spend the savings very reluctantly, including fats.

Carbohydrate window

Their biochemical antagonist, insulin, can neutralize the effect of stress hormones. It is able to transfer metabolism from a state of alarm to a mode of calm recovery. With the help of insulin, the process of replenishing the body's energy resources spent during training and restoring muscle proteins begins. A well-known and completely natural way to increase insulin levels in the body is by eating carbohydrate foods.

Nutritionists advise consuming carbohydrates after workouts in liquid form, from elemental sources that have a high glycemic index. In this case, there will be a sharp jump in insulin levels, which have anabolic and anti-catabolic properties. Simply put, drink grape and cranberry juice after exercise because they are known for their high glucose to fructose ratio.

Calculate the amount of juice you need according to this scheme: 1 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of ideal weight. For reference: a glass of grape juice contains 38 grams of carbohydrates, cranberry juice – 31 grams

It is also recommended to eat fruits and any carbohydrate foods that do not contain fat:

• Boiled potatoes
• boiled rice
• boiled or steamed vegetables
• pasta
• sugar
• jam
• marmalade, etc.

It is clear that portions must be reasonable. Consumption of these products will lead to additional release of insulin, which will normalize metabolism in this case and replenish the energy spent during training.

Protein window

Bodybuilders and bodybuilders consider the best option after training to be consuming protein shakes made from ready-made protein powders (sold in pharmacies and sports nutrition stores). Owners and builders of beautiful, sculpted bodies are convinced that drinking a cocktail after an intense workout increases protein synthesis in muscles by 3 times (compared to fasting). So you can take a bottle of powder and juice cocktail with you if you are not working out at home, and drink it immediately after finishing your workout.

The amount of protein powder per 1 kg of ideal weight is 0.55 grams. If for some reason you cannot drink protein shakes, use egg whites

If you do not want to take powdered shakes, eat any protein food, having previously calculated the amount you need. The simplest scheme is this: the portion should fit into your palm. Since nutrition after training has one important goal - to restore muscles as efficiently and quickly as possible and ensure an increase in pure muscle mass (instead of flabby), protein foods should not contain fat. Not a single gram. Fat will delay the flow of proteins and carbohydrates from the stomach into the blood.

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Poor nutrition before and after training can not only cause discomfort during exercise, but also make it useless or even harmful. Depending on your goals, nutrition may vary. But if you're not a bodybuilder, forget about hard drying, which is so actively discussed on many forums. This is a training regime for sports competitions that has nothing to do with fitness and wellness programs.

When and what to eat before training

In sports medicine there is such a thing as. Nutritionist and international fitness trainer Olga Perevalova recommends an hour before training eat some grain bread, or any fruit, or a sandwich with cheese, drink juice or a glass of tea.

“Even if an athlete trains at 5 am, he will never start the day without breakfast,” says nutritionist Olga Perevalova. “Otherwise there will be no sense in the lesson.” If you are losing weight, you need to understand that Trying to burn fat on an empty stomach is useless" The body needs to be started, like a car: just as the car will not move without fuel injection, the necessary processes in the human body will not start without carbohydrate loading.

Nutritionist Ekaterina Belova offers a slightly different approach. Regardless of the type of load and training goals, she recommends not eating carbohydrate foods (grains, vegetables, fruits) one and a half to two hours before class, and proteins and fats - two to three hours. “When you start training, food should already move from the stomach to the intestines,” says Ekaterina.

Carbohydrate loading, in her opinion, only makes sense if you haven’t eaten for a long time or haven’t eaten at all in the morning. If you eat enough during the day and make sure that the breaks between meals are no more than five hours, then it is better not to eat anything one and a half to two hours before class.

Yoga is a different story. The best time to practice is in the morning, and all instructors recommend do yoga on an empty stomach. Even my small practice experience confirms that any food a couple of hours before a lesson interferes with comfortable study. However, Olga Perevalova recommends having breakfast in this case too. But breakfast should not just be light, but very light - a glass of tea or water with lemon juice and a spoonful of honey.

Is it possible to eat during training?

Let me clarify right away - this unexpected item appeared here only for those who prefer long-term training. For example, for long distance runners.

When I took part in a 10-kilometer race, the more experienced runners I knew halfway through the race took small bags out of their pockets and quickly sucked something jelly-like from them. " Carbohydrate supplements are really good for long intense workouts, says Ekaterina Belova. — Energy resources need to be replenished. Those who choose this type of exercise usually have little body fat and it is not so easily included in the process. It’s easier to add carbs and move on.”

Post-workout nutrition

It all depends on your type of load. If you do cardio, for example, just run, then your the main task is to restore glycogen reserves, the so-called storage carbohydrate. “During training, you first use up blood glucose, then glycogen reserves, and only then adipose tissue is activated,” says Ekaterina Belova. - If you do not restore glycogen stores immediately after exercise, then this in itself will take a very long time. You will slow down your metabolic processes and reduce your endurance." So if you fast after running, don't expect any progress.

Ekaterina Belova recommends 15 minutes after class drink a milkshake, smoothie, water with carbohydrates, eat a piece of fruit or drink fresh juice. “By the way, this is the only time when freshly squeezed juice, rich in quickly digestible carbohydrates, is really useful,” says Ekaterina Belova. “In other cases, slow carbohydrates are much preferable.”

If you are interested in strengthening muscles or building muscle mass, then your second goal in post-workout nutrition is to maintain metabolic window rule. Within two hours after class, be sure to eat something high in protein. This could be a protein shake, cottage cheese or lean meat, poultry or fish.

Ekaterina Belova recommends shortening this period of time up to one hour: “If you don’t eat in the first hour, then continue to put it off. While I was driving home through traffic jams, while I was sorting out family matters and preparing dinner, four hours would fly by unnoticed. It’s better to take cottage cheese with you or have dinner after training in a cafe.”

The point of the metabolic window rule is primarily to ensure that muscles recover properly. If you don’t “feed” them, there will be no result even from the most persistent exercises. , and rest and nutrition after training. “If you don’t eat anything after exercise, the muscles begin to atrophy, weakness and malaise appear,” says Olga Perevalova.

In addition, proper nutrition after training allows you to properly start your metabolism the next day. “If you burn 400 kcal or more per hour of fitness, your metabolism accelerates by 8-10 percent and returns to its previous state only after a day,” says Olga Perevalova. “And if you eat right the whole time, you lose weight and improve your body composition.”

And of course, post-workout nutrition excludes all fatty, fried, sausages, flour and sweets. This can result in excess weight and cellulite, even with intense training. But by and large, nutritionists recommend avoiding these products not only after fitness, but generally always.

How do you organize your nutrition before and after training?

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