Fooding the Fire: Working it Out Part II

A few weeks ago I was wheeling and dealing nutrition specs to my dear family friend Jon who just so happens to be a mad serious biker. On average, he bikes 2-3 hours a day on flats, slopes, hills, basically, any outdoor surface that can handle 2 wheels –rain or shine—and he gets in a few weight training sessions per week. If we’re on the same wavelength, and you’re picturing what I was when I heard this training regimen, you’re envisioning the making of the new Lance … Armstrong, that is.

Well—being me, not only was I picturing Lance, but the mountain of food he must down each day to A) Not constantly feel as if his last meal was a week ago; B) Fuel his muscles so he can go, go go!; C) Optimize his biking performance to maximum capacity.

Now, Jon is a recent college grad and a boy, okay, man. It is crazy watching family get older! He used to be a couple inches shorter than me! Now, his 6 plus feet dwarfs my measly5’4.’’  Anyways, my point is, I quietly assumed that hamburgers, chili dogs, chicken nuggets, protein shakes, subs—you know, the typical fast food, easy to assemble college man fare—was a significant component of his diet. So, when he asked to chat about his current state of nutrition—I assumed we’d discuss ways to get his calorie, carb, and protein needs in without overdoing it on the fat. Well, I was wrong. Note to self—never ever assume or judge a college man by his surroundings (food surroundings that is)… even silently.  These fatty foods were actually a rarity in his diet and his overall day to day meals were pretty darn healthifyingly impressive (yea, that’s right…I found a new way to use  my word!).  But, what did need some work was the timing of his meals because the dude was always hungry!!! A brush-up on the carb, protein, and fat ratios of his pre- and post-sweat drenching sessions also followed suit.

Now, I know all of us aren’t Lance’s in the making, BUT our pre- and post-sweat sess needs are similar … just in smaller amounts. So, we’ll cover the 1 … 2 … 3’s …!!!

Pre-Exercise Fuel Basics

• Eat  meals 2-4 hours before you break a sweat
• Include protein and carbs in your meal
• Choose low-fat items (no fatty, fried, battered food here) to ease digestion
• Know your fiber max. High fiber meals may cause stomach woes and will lend to a less than satisfactory workout (gosh, do I feel guilty knockin’ the fiber)
• If you’re hungry or “working it” for more than an hour, have a pre-workout high-carb snack at least 30 minutes before your session (any earlier and you may have a tummy troubles. When you already managed to gym it, the last thing you need is to get off that treadmill because something just isn’t sitting too well—just giving you a heads-up).

Meal Ideas (eat 2-4 hours before workout)

• Low-fat tuna melt sandwich + fruit (use Diyo!)
• Turkey and Swiss loaded veggie sandwich + banana
• Oatmeal with almonds, skim milk, and a banana
• Greek yogurt + low-fat granola + sliced almonds + berries
• Garden or turkey burger on bun or bread with lettuce, tomato + side salad with low-fat dressing
• Natural peanut butter & honey on toast + 2 hardboiled eggs + melon

Snack Suggestions (eat at least 30 minutes before workout)

• 1 tablespoon natural peanut or almond butter with an apple or celery sticks
• Turkey slices on whole-grain crackers or with any fruit
• Roasted edamame
• Piece of hand fruit (orange, banana, pear, apple…oh, the possibilities!) with string cheese
• If you’re in a jam, a snack bar with less than 200 calories and at least 3 grams of fiber. My top picks: Luna Bars, Mini Clif Bars, and Kashi Go Lean Crunchy! Bars

Now, Post-Exercise Basics (eat meals within 1 hr after workout)

• Eat within an hour after exercising.
• Eat a balanced meal. If you were to divide your plate, 1/2 of the plate should be dripping in vegetables, 1/4 in protein, and 1/4 in whole grains or carbs.
• If you are not eating a meal within 1 hour post sweat session, grab a snack! And, make sure it has protein and carbs (i.e. graham crackers + peanut butter + banana). This is key for muscle recovery!
• Drink up! How do you know if you’re drinking enough? Your pee should be clear or light yellow NOT BRIGHT YELLOW. Note: unless you’re sweating buckets and working out for more than an hour you DO NOT need any sort of Sports Drink (i.e. Gatorade, Vitamin Water, etc. Save your money and the calories).
• Now, not to be a downer … BUT just because you worked out, you can’t go eat a whole pizza. Keep your nutrition in-check! Remember, for each 10 minutes you run, you only burn about 100 calories, which is equivalent to 5 Starbursts, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 small potato, or about 3/4 cups cereal. Basic rule 0f thumb—for every 10 minutes of sweat-inducing exercise, you burn approximately 100 calories. Itching to find out your calorie needs for weight maintenance? For your estimate, click HERE.
• Take home point: If your like my exercising fiend friend Jon, you don’t need to be worried about how much you eat, as long as its healthy! At 3 plus hours of exercise a day, he’s burning it up. But, if you’re a slave to your desk, car, or just not moving and groovin’ all day it is important to keep in mind that you can’t exercise and forego your Nutrition Basics!

On a Concluding Note

I realize that this may not be the most titillating post, but is is information you MUST know–whether trying to achieve optimal performance or use exercise as a tool to help maintain or lose weight.

If seeking  to improve peek performance, following the above notes will get you that recovery nutrition you need pre- and post-workout, getting you geared for tomorrow’s sweat session! On another note, I often hear of folks skipping meals pre- or post-workout to help slash calories and lose weight. But, this only sabotages healthifying efforts, can throw off your metabolism from burning-and-churning, and typically, leads to the infamous cabinet raid … where everything plus the intended meal is eaten. SO … Stick to a regular meal schedule! Eat within an 1-2 hours of waking and don’t go longer than 4 hours without eating after this point. And, eat healthfully, you’ll fell better.

Question of the Day: What’s your fav Pre- or Post-Workout Snack??? Or, Meal???

Happy Healthifying!

P.S. Thanks Jon for letting me use you as a case study:)