What to eat BEFORE & AFTER a work out

The results of your fitness will be affected by the before, during and after your workout.

The key is to eat quality carbohydrates before workout, and lean proteins after it. Below more explanation:

BEFORE exercise: Eat carbs, yes!...do not be afraid of carbs. Carbs provide you energy, and can enhance endurance exercise performance in adults.

The question is how much?...well, it depends of your body weight. Nancy Cohen, professor in the department of nutrition at the University of Masachussetts recommends "1 to 4 grams of carbs per every 2.2 pounds of body weight if you are planning to exercise more than one hour. example: a medium banana has 27grs of carbs."

When you should eat?...at least one hour before your work out

What kind of carbohydrates?...carbohydrates low in fat. Good quality carbs, like banana, pasta, peanut butter, almond butter, whole wheat toast, sweet potatos, avocado, quinoa, apple, broccoli, brown rice.

Do not forget the fluids, they are also very important, Nancy Cohen said. "In general, you can consume 5 to 10 milliliters of water per kilogram of body weight in the two to four hours before a workout."

DURING: What to eat during a workout?...if you are going to work out less than an hour, you only need to hydrate yourself.

For endurance exercises of one to 2½ hours, aim for 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. For instance, a medium apple has about 25 grams of total carbohydrates.

AFTER: What to eat after a workout?...munch on protein, like dairy products, eggs, meat, fish. Here a great guide:

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.food/explainers/protein.facts.html

When?..."After long or very high-intensity workouts, consuming 1 to 1.2 grams dairy of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per hour for four to six hours, along with 15 to 25 grams of protein within the first hour after exercise" Cohen said.

Eating protein right after your workout is very important.

"During and immediately following exercise, degradation of muscle protein is increased. After vigorous exercise, cells go to 30 to 60 minute window in which amino acids uptake can increase building muscle. By ingesting high quality protein we can gain the most muscle-building benefits " says Dr. Nicholas Perricone MD, American physician, dermatologist, nutritionist and healthy aging expert.

Consider these tips if you want to see results of your effort when exercising. The before, and after is a key when working out. Hope to hear comments once you practice them!...