The quality and quantity of food you take when you conduct an intense exercise matters to meet the energy that the training demands. Inadequate source of energy will result in poor performance and unbearable muscle pain. The presence of proper meal before and after would be a critical factor for the progression of your routine.
Maintaining this proper nutrition could be challenging due to the temptation present anywhere. The key solution for this is focus and determination. Focus on your diet plan and determination to get your goal.
For your benefit, here are three factors to consider in preparing your meal for intense training.
Nutritional Value
For a hardcore training you will need a substantial amount of protein and carbohydrate.
Some of the excellent sources of protein are seafood, white-meat poultry, eggs, beans and lean beef. Eating protein-rich food will provide you energy during the training and at the same time shed the unwanted weight as it keeps your stomach full. Scientifically, protein will be digested into amino acids and will pass through a process to remove the nitrogen. Right after the nitrogen is removed; the amino acids will be converted into glucose or fatty acids and will be turned into energy.
When you are on a diet and follows a strict training program, carbohydrates would definitely be your main source of energy. Studies explain that increasing the percentage of carbohydrate energy while reducing that of fat on a daily diet program has a significant impact in the energy balance regulation. Healthy carbs can be found in sweet potatoes, legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Although, carbs can be found from foods such as white bread and pastries, these processed carbs can actually trigger weight gain.
Hydration
Once you consider engaging in a rigid training, you should watch out for your water intake. Before and after, you must condition your body with fluids and electrolytes. Basically, you need at least 1 liter of water a day to maintain your proper hydration. However, your fluid balance should be adjusted under an extreme training, thus you must have more than one liter. For the average adult male, he can drink up to 3.7 liters or 15 cups of water a day while the average adult female can have 2.7 liters or 11 cups. In general, it also advised to take water whenever you feel thirsty, don?t ever deprive yourself from fluids.
Meal Routine
Obviously, a disciplined food intake would require appropriate time for eating. You can?t just eat anytime you want and claim consuming a proper diet plan. Around two to three hours prior to the actual training, you can have your first meal? it should be carbs and protein rich with minimal fat content. For this pre-exercise, you can have oats, scrambled egg and almond butter.
An hour after the routine, you can have your second meal. Prioritize protein rich food to help in repairing muscles and add energy drink if you want just to let your body replenish immediately. For post-workout, you put pancakes, lean grass-fed beef or tuna with crackers on your plate. Around 30 grams of protein and carbs can mainly do the job of rebuilding your muscles.
