WHEN you eat can be as important as WHAT
you eat regarding workout nutrition. There are an endless array
of supplements and wonder-foods available, many promising a great
return if you simply purchase their product. Well, there are some
supplements that could help with workouts and recovery, but they
are just that – supplements to a regular diet and exercise
program. Get your regular diet and eating habits in order first,
and then you’ll be able to tell which supplements really seem
to help you out.
So how do you go about getting your eating habits in order? Start
with the things that matter the most, of course. We will detail
this in a future newsletter, but the bullet points:
Eat breakfast everyday
Eat a complete protein with each regular
meal
Eat every two to three hours
Drink plenty of water throughout the
day
Drink mainly non-caloric beverages
Before you start counting every gram and
half-gram of fat in your diet, get these basics in order. Eating
smaller, more frequent meals can not only stop cravings, but leave
you felling less hungry during the day, improve insulin sensitivity,
and improve recovery from training. Get this in order first.
This all leads us to the title of this article – workout nutrition.
Besides (or possibly including) breakfast, timing nutrient intake
around your training is the most important aspect of recovery. Multiple
studies have shown far higher recovery rates (in some studies as
much as 300%!) for those consuming a pre- and post- workout drink
containing both carbohydrates and protein opposed to those consuming
only water around the workout window. We will define this workout
window as 30 minutes prior to and 30 minutes post-workout, and this
nutrition should come in the form of liquid and contain little to
no fat for ease of assimilation. There are many drinks that address
this issue (Endurox, Surge, etc.) and fit this bill – but
there is an easy choice in your local grocery - - chocolate skim
milk. An easy to find, relatively cheap way to increase your recovery
from hard training. Add a small bottle to your workout bag and sip
some about 30 minutes prior to your workout, and finish the bottle
within 30 minutes post-workout. This bottle would of course be in
addition to your water bottle (or Gatorade, etc) – because
we want to cover basic hydration as well.
If you aren’t already doing so, try incorporating workout
nutrition as detailed in your training program and start recovering
faster. Find which workout-window drink works best for you (chocolate
milk is an easy starting point…) and follow the bullet points
above to get your eating habits (and timing) in order. Improved
recovery doesn’t have to be a complicated effort, just a consistent
effort!
by John Coffman, FasterSwimming.com Contributing
Writer
