What should I eat before a work out?
Question:
Answers:
You definitely want to eat a little before a workout. Usually, I have a whey protein shake with milk 30 minutes prior to working out. This gives me some energy.
If I am doing cardio, I usually don't eat for at least an hour before hand. Cardio and food don't mix.
You also want to make sure you eat something after you work out... you have an hour window after working out where your body is more likely to use the foods you eat to repair / refuel itself. Consider it a freebie time to eat.
I think you are on the right path to losing weight. It is going to take time. If you aren't already, start monitoring what you eat to see where you wind up in terms of calories. I like the free website http://www.fitday.com when I am tracking what I eat. Those that keep track of what they eat are less likely to make poor food choices. Try to consume 500 calories less than you burn in a day to burn off the pounds in a slow but steady effort.
Again, be patient, it takes time to lose weight but the hard work will be worth it in the long run.
If you have further questions, feel free to drop me a line.
Good luck.
Other Answers:
try granola... most of its high energy low fat
You need to stick at it, it takes time. Concentrate on cardio if you need to shift the pounds
an apple
In my nutrition class we were taught to eat carbohydrates an hour before working out.
befor. nothing. this isnt very wise to eat anything before you workout and dont eat an hour after you are done this helps buld stama as well endurance as well. my opion?
have an apple before workout, lots of water, and don't eat much after workout. You'll be in shape pretty soon.
Don't have anything heavy right before you work out because your body will be too busy digesting the food and you will not feel like giving 100%. Have something like a banana because they are a good source of energy and fat free. After you have finished your work out do not leave it too long before you have another snack, preferably within an hour. The human body does not know when the next meal will be and will store fat if you do not give it something. After the work out have some protein so that you will burn fat and build muscle, maybe a tuna or chicken salad (without oily dressing)?
never eat before a workout, only water, it took a long time to gain the weight and it will take just as long to lose it, the first initial weight loss is mostly water, you need to eat cereal for breakfast, skim milk and a piece of toast! then skinless chicken and veggies, soup and crackers for supper, drink only water! change routine often to work different muscle areas.
well u can eat some carbo rich fruit just before your work out. The ideal is banana.
It supplies glucose to your body which needs in the entire work out. Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes
Check out the following website for tips on what to eat pre-exercise
http://www.foodrecipesandadvice.org.uk/nutrition3.htm
Here are also some suggestions for weight loss:
Always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise and nutrition plan.
You need a good combination of aerobic activity and resistance training combined with a healthy diet. It is not recommended to lose more than 1-3 lbs a week. If you want to lose weight the correct and safe way that will stay off for the long-term, you need a good comprehensive exercise and nutrition plan.
A good program looks like this:
Always warm up and cool down
Muscular Strength & Endurance-you need a good resistance training program that includes exercises for all muscle groups (hips, chest, upper and mid back, legs (quads and hamstrings), shoulders, lower back, upper arms (biceps and triceps), calves, forearms, abdomen, and the gluteus maximus).
Your intensity should be 70-80% 1-RM or 8-12-RM, 8-12 reps, 1 or more sets, 3 times a week for 6 weeks or more when you begin a resistance program. You should begin with 1 exercise for each major muscle group and make sure the days you do resistance training are not consecutive meaning you don't exercise the same muscle group two days in a row. As you continue your program you can add more exercises, add weight, and change up your program to include more days or just work specific muscle groups on specific days. As your muscles grow stronger you will be able to reduce the rest time between each set. You should rest for about 30 seconds between sets.
Muscle is metabolically active and therefore when you gain muscle it burns more calories and helps to raise your metabolism.
If you do not have money for a gym membership or do not have access to one, here is a great website to create a work out plan only using your body weight.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.php?MainMuscle=&Equip=BodyOnly&Isolation=
You can also search for all kinds of exercises that use weight.
Here is another great website for finding some good exercises for different parts of the body.
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/Strength_Exercises.html
Here is a great link to a comprehensive musculoskeletal atlas of the body to help you understand what exactly you are working
http://www.preventdisease.com/home/muscleatlas/content.html#102
Also, if you are having trouble deciding what type of program you should be doing, here is a website that may help you to better understand the different forms of strength.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kelly2.htm
Cardiovascular Endurance-This part is extremely important for fat burning and enhancing your overall cardiovascular performance. You need to include a warm-up and cool-down. In order to have an effective cardio plan you must first make sure you remain in your target heart rate zone for at least 30 minutes a day (you can start out doing this for 3 days a week and build up) and then you can build up to 45-60 minutes a day. This will seriously help to burn fat as well as raise your VO2Max which is basically a number that represents the capacity of your cardiorespiratory system. The higher the number the more efficient your cardio system is. You can learn more about VO2 at the following website.
http://www.preventdisease.com/news/articles/vo2_max_how_fit_athlete.shtml
In order to determine your target heart rate, do the following:
know these numbers:
maximum heart rate= (220-age)
resting heart rate=(get this by counting your pulse for a minute when you first wake up in the morning)
heart rate reserve=(maximum heart rate-resting heart rate)
then calculate training intensity:
TI= Heart rate reserve x percentage(use 70%-85%) + resting heart rate
Now your training intensity number is important because this is the number you want to reach for a particular training intensity. This is the number your heart rate has to get to in order to be in the optimum cardio training zone.
You can perform the TI equation for 70% and then another for 85% to get a good range for your heart rate. This is your own personal target heart rate zone.
You can either count your pulse yourself or use a heart rate monitor while you are exercising. You can buy one at most electronic stores. I recommend the heart rate monitor because you don't have to do anything and it lets you know where you are. Some even beep when you reach your zone or when you go above it. Mine has a strap you put on under your clothes and a watch that shows you your heart rate as well as other things. Now of course, any type of heart rate monitor will not be perfect because there are factors that are not taken into account, but it is one of the most accurate ways to keep track of your heart rate that is easily available to the public.
Here is a website to help you calculate your target heart rate zone
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtools/articles/thr.html
Here is a good website for some information on how to measure your physical activity intensity
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/physical/measuring/met.htm
Now, I needed to tell you all of that so I can let you know what cardio activities will fit this type of requirement.
The following are great activities for a good aerobic plan:
cycling, jogging, running, walking, rowing, stair climbing, elliptical machine, aerobic dance, bench step aerobics, hiking, in-line skating, skiing, rope skipping, swimming, and water aerobics.
Any of these activities are acceptable only if you make sure your heart rate stays within your target heart rate zone. This does not count your warm-up or cool-down either. You need at least 30 minutes within your zone for the best benefits because for most people your body does not begin to burn fat until you have been working aerobically in your heart rate zone for at least 30 minutes. Of course all exercise is good for you, so even if you do not make it to your heart rate zone, it still is good for you and there will be benefits from it. Just work your way up, start slow, and you will be gradually improving your body's cardiovascular performance and burning fat. Once your body gets used to performing aerobically it will begin to burn fat faster than someone who is not on a cardio program.
You can find calculators at the following website to calculate about how many calories are burned by different activities.
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtools/tools.html#bctwr
Here are a few websites that will help you to begin a fitness walking program
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/fitness_walking.html
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/walking_schedule.html
Or if you prefer, you can begin a jogging program
http://preventdisease.com/fitness/fitness_jogging.html
Body Composition-this includes your body fat percentage, bone frame, as well as how much muscle you have. Most people focus on only weight, but you should not put as much focus on that as much as what your body fat percentage is (get it tested at an exercise facility with skinfold calipers). You should also get circumference measurements done. This includes your neck, shoulder, chest, waist, abdominal, hip (buttocks), thigh (proximal), thigh (mid), thigh (distal), knee, calf, ankle, arm (bicep), forearm, and wrist. You should be able to do this at a gym. You should get all of this information done before you start your program and then you can see how you improve.
You can calculate an estimate of your body composition and target weight here:
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtools/tools.html#bctwr
The following website will help you to understand a little more about body composition
http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/muscle_vs_fat_measure_what_matters.shtml
Flexibility- Most people do not even think about this, but it is very important because it helps to prevent injury and it helps you to perform every day activities. It also has an effect on all your other programs. You should perform 10-12 flexibility exercises every day. Slowly stretch the muscle to a point of mild discomfort but not necessarily pain. Hold stretch for 10-30 seconds, and do 3-5 reps for each stretch. This should take about 15-30 minutes per session. If you do not have time to do this every day, try to do it 2-3 times a week.
Here are some good websites to learn more about flexibility and stretching
http://preventdisease.com/fitness/fundament/articles/stretching.html
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/
Diet- You have to make sure that you eat right and that means following the food guide pyramid. All those low carb diets or fad diets out there will not help you lose weight safely. You can read more about the risks of low carb diets at the following website
http://www.preventdisease.com/news/articles/032006_low-carb.shtml
Know that 1 lb. of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. So if you eat 500 calories less per day for a week than you normally would (by either cutting back or changing what you eat or even by burning 500 calories from exercise) that is 3,500 calories and you should lose 1 lb. that week. I know that does not sound like a lot, but it is a proven fact that you should not lose more than 1-3 lbs. per week because it is not safe nor does it stay off. If you work to lose 1-3 lbs a week then it is much more likely to be the safe way and will stay off for long-term if you continue to live a healthy lifestyle.
I do not like the word diet because most people think of a diet as a short-term way of losing weight when the most effective way of losing weight is to completely change your lifestyle.
Here are some ways to change the way you eat:
Always follow the food guide pyramid with focus on fruits and vegetables and lean meat such as chicken or fish.
Make sure you get enough fiber and water in your diet. You should get 20-30 grams of fiber every day along with plenty of water. You can go to http://preventdisease.com/home/tips65.shtml to learn more about fiber and tips on how to get more in your diet. You should drink a total of 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day at least. This is different for everyone, but you should be able to figure out about how much water you need a day. You can go to
http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/how_much_water.shtml to learn more about how much water you should drink.
Get your carbs from complex carbohydrates (pasta, rice, grains, cereals, potatoes, dried beans and peas) that contain whole wheat. When you buy something such as bread make sure the first ingredient is whole wheat and does not contain the word enriched. You can learn more about carbohydrates at the following website.
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/weightloss/articles/carbs.html
You can also learn how to choose healthy breakfast cereals at the following website
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/N180.htm
Learn what serving sizes are and how to properly use them. This is very important because the average American consumes way too much and it is because serving sizes are out of control. You can find out more about this at the following website
http://dietnews.webmd.com/content/article/80/96522.htm
Even when you go out to eat or to fast food places you can eat healthy. Choose low fat or low calorie food items such as a salad ( fat-free cheese and dressing), grilled chicken sandwich, etc. When you go out to eat you can also split an entree with someone or ask them to put half in a to-go box in the back before they even bring it to you.
Always eat breakfast and never skip any meals. I have also done research on this and this helps to keep your metabolism up and makes sure you do not overeat, among many other things. Try for 3 meals a day with 2 snacks.
Try as much as you can to stay away from saturated and trans fat because they are both bad for you and should be consumed as little as possible. Mono and polyunsaturated fats or good for you but fat should only make up 25-35% of total calories. If the food label ingredient list contains "partially hydrogenated" that means it contains trans fat and should be avoided when possible. The following website offers a plan to follow to help fight fat
http://msn.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s2-4-60-105-1138-1,00.html
Watch out for your caffeine intake, you can find how much caffeine is in certain things at the following website.
http://health.yahoo.com/topic/nutrition/foods/article/mayoclinic/CE619C35-D037-4016-A9CBEA9A3ECBCEB6
A lot of people also focus on high protein but in reality you only need .8 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body weight.
People who are on a resistance training program may consume up to 1.2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight.
So for me I weigh 135 lbs. and I figure my body weight in kg as follows:
135 divided by 2.2= 61.4 kg
61.4 kg x .8= 50 grams of protein a day.
61.4 kg x 1.2=74 grams of protein a day.
My range is 50-74 depending on my exercise level.
You can check out this online calculator to find out about how much protein you need.
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtools/articles/protein.html
The following website also has a list of the 29 healthiest foods or “power” foods and why they are so
http://www.bellybytes.com/articles/29foods.shtml
There is a formula you can use to calculate an estimate of how many calories you would need to eat every day to either maintain your current weight or to lose weight based on different factors.
You can go to this website to calculate an estimate of your total daily energy requirement from your BMR+AMR.
http://www.preventdisease.com/healthtools/articles/bmr.html
Here is a helpful website to understand how to manage your metabolism
http://preventdisease.com/home/weeklywellness163.shtml
Also here is a helpful website to find out what nutrients a food contains
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
Here are some other websites to help you understand how to eat healthier
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/nutrition/articles/healthyeating.html
http://www.preventdisease.com/fitness/weightloss/articles/management.html
http://www.mypyramid.gov is a great website to use to keep an online track of calories and many other things. It is free and also provides you with additional information to help you lose weight.
Here are some great websites to give you some tips on eating healthy on a budget:
http://diet.ivillage.com/issues/ichoices/0,,352r,00.html
http://magazines.ivillage.com/goodhousekeeping/diet/bites/qas/0,,577197_624585,00.html
http://www.uottawa.ca/health/information/nutrition-shopping.html
http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=50852&from=PROFILE
You can check out the following website to get the facts on some common diet myths
http://dietnews.webmd.com/content/article/81/96720.htm#bottomline
Here is another website to check out to understand the modes of fitness better.
http://preventdisease.com/fitness/fundament/articles/types_exercises.html
I have a powerpoint presentation on several of the fad diets that people are on today if you would like to contact me for it.
I also have a powerpoint presentation on the importance of breakfast if you would like more information on that also.
I would recommend you find a certified personal trainer and a registered dietician in your area to help you lose weight.
It is very important to know that not all personal trainers are educated the same and therefore you must make sure if you use one they are properly certified. The following website gives you more information on this subject.
http://www.preventdisease.com/news/articles/not_all_trainers_equal.shtml
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