Make your athletic body Happy!

Banana pre-workout

It's great that you're working out. But are you doing it in a way that is best for your bod? Here are a few relatively simple tips that will make a big difference in the way you look and feel.


1: Fuel up!
Even if you aren't hungry, have a carbohydrate-rich snack exactly 2 hours pre-workout. Your body needs that energy. During the workout your metabolism stops digesting and redirects blood flow to the nervous system where it's needed most. Therefore if you eat too closely to when you workout your body has not had a chance to digest the fuel and can't use it--instead you're left with a stomach ache. 

Whole-wheat bagel pre- or post-

(The science of it: During a hard physical effort, the muscles that move your body crave oxygen and demand nearly 85 percent of your blood flow. The O2 combines with glycogen (a byproduct from the carbs you ate earlier) to produce adenosine triphosphate, aka ATP. That's the fuel that makes the body go.)


2. Fuel up!

Mitigate the energy depletion by eating and drinking ASAP. After a strenuous workout, your body is running low, and nutrition is the biggest recovery factor you can control. Aim to eat half a gram of carbs for every 2.2 pounds of body weight and take in protein at a four-to-one ratio.  For most people a whole-wheat bagel with peanut butter, a protein smoothie, or a chicken sandwich on whole-wheat bread are great options. (The science of it: Your workout may be over, but your body is still busy replacing its glycogen stores, removing lactic acid, lowering my heart and breathing rates, and shutting down the capillaries to my muscles as the ones to my stomach reopen. Mentally, your flying because exercise produces an opium-like substance in the brain that gives you a natural high.) 


(Most info from Womenshealthmag online)