How to Maximize Your Diet With Exercise

How to Maximize Your Diet With Exercise

Maximize Your Diet with Exercise

Getting your daily exercise in can make a difference not only to your physique, but also to your general wellbeing and sleep. But you should also look at how well you are planning your diet based around that exercise. You can use several pointers for helping you get a better diet up and running so your workouts will be more efficient.

Take In a Good Breakfast

Start your effort for doing more with your exercise by looking at how you are taking in your breakfast. You should always have a healthy breakfast in the morning. Your meal may include a whole grain cereal, fresh fruit or vegetable juice, or even some yogurt or low-fat milk. Aim to eat your breakfast about an hour before your workout. This will give your body enough time to digest your meal.

Review the Size of Your Meals

Watch for how big or small your meals are before you get a workout going. You can enjoy a small meal about one to three hours before your workout. But for a larger one, you should avoid exercising until about three to four hours after you are done eating. Having too much food before working out can cause you to tire prematurely. Avoid buffets or large plates if possible. Adding more food to your meal will only make you feel sluggish.

Planning Hydration

Look at how well you are taking in water for your workouts. Always drink about two to three cups of water about two to three hours before a workout. Take in about a cup of water every 20 minutes during the workout itself. Finish this off with two to three cups of water for each pound of weight you lose when working out. The initial weight loss comes from your body losing its fluids during that workout; you have to drink water to restore those fluids.

What Can You Eat After Exercising?

Your muscles will use up their glycogen stores as you work out. You will have to restore the glycogen in your body after the workout is complete. While it does help to consume water after a workout to cool your body down, you should also eat something with protein and carbohydrates soon after you are done working out. Specifically, 20 grams of protein after a workout is generally regarded as beneficial, though you should consult with your physician.

Antioxidants are Beneficial Post-Workout

Consume foods with antioxidants after your workout. Fruit juices such as cherry or pomegranate juices are known for containing antioxidants that can reduce inflammation. You can use antioxidants to minimize the pains or cramps you might experience following the end of a workout.