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Foods That Can Boost Your Workout | Send Feedback
Since the time when you were sitting in that high chair, dodging a spoonful of that nasty looking pureed peas and carrots, you've probably had someone tell you that it takes the right kind of food to make you big and strong. Well, your Momma was right - as usual.
When you workout, you tear down muscle tissue. During the time that you don't work out, your muscles naturally repair themselves and this process leads to the big payoff - bigger muscles. That which you eat and drink enables this muscle regeneration.
Your muscles' primary fuel is glycogen. This represents about 1-2 percent of the muscle mass and this is fed by carbohydrates. When a meal containing carbohydrates is digested, blood glucose levels rise and the pancreas secretes insulin. Without this glucose, an individual would "hit the wall" and ultimately be unable to move a muscle.
Some foods feed this glycogen better than others and these are the ones to consume before and after a strenuous workout. These recommendations come from the fitness nutritionists at the Tom Landry Center in Dallas and from several popular nutritional websites.
From your first meal of the day, it's a good idea to load up on carbohydrates. Remember this is the primary source for that glycogen. The best source for carbs at breakfast is oatmeal and when you add a few fresh berries, the effect is even better. Protein is also critical to boost the effect of exercise and eggs are a great source for this. There is a downside to eggs which is fat and cholesterol found in the yolk. However, you can avoid this by using egg whites with no yolk.
Another great food to increase the impact of your workout is chicken breasts. There are about 35 grams of protein for a 4-ounce breast and it's best to grill or bake them without the skin.
Pasta is a wonderful source of easy-to-burn carbohydrates. You get about 50 grams of carbs per cup. Pasta also has muscle-building proteins so it's one of those "two-fers" that fitness fanatics love.
Low-fat yogurt has a nice balance of proteins and carbs and the wide range of flavors offers a little diversity of taste. Another snack that's rich is potassium is peanuts. Both of these foods can help to increase the effect of a workout. Protein drinks, with a mixture of 25% protein and 60% carbs is also a great snack any time of the day.
If you're interested in endurance sports such as marathon running, long-distance biking or triathlons, some new research has found that glycogen is replenished more rapidly when exercisers ingest both carbohydrates and caffeine following the exercise.
The July 2009 issue of the "Journal of Applied Physiology" noted that athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrates had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after the workout. This was compared to when they consumed the carbs alone. The amount of caffeine ingested was equal to 5 or 6 cups of strong coffee.
Aside from the aesthetic benefit of a toned body, building muscle is worth the effort on another level. Working out and having more muscle tissue increases metabolism and consumes fat and harmful substances in the body.
So, do you have some food that might super-charge a workout? Give us a clue.
Later---
The Clue