Danvers Bootcamp Pre/Post Workout Meal Choices

Danvers Bootcamp Pre/Post Workout Meal Choices

Alrighty, so after my last post on how important it is to have a pre/post workout meal and the reasons why, I received a lot of emails asking what are good meals to have before and after their workouts.

I put together a list of good choices of pre/post workout meals. Remember there is a difference in what you eat before and after your workouts.

I'd suggest the bulk of the calories in the pre-workout meal come from carbohydrates. Because your body depends on glycogen stores to fuel your workout, you'll need something to fill those stores. As you'll be leaving some time before you workout, choose some low-GI carbohydrates to ensure a steady release of energy and avoid a crash before you’re workout .

Why Low GI Carbs? A low GI diet is based on foods with a lower ranking according to the glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) is a system for rating carbs, according to how fast they raise our blood sugar levels. The higher the GI a food, the faster the rise in our blood glucose.

The glycemic index separates foods into three categories:

• High Glycemic Index Foods (GI 70+), cause a rapid rise in blood-glucose levels.
• Intermediate Glycemic Index Foods (GI 55-69) causing a medium rise in blood-glucose.
• Low Glycemic Index Foods (GI 54 or less), causing a slower rise in blood-sugar.
  

I listed below some of the lower GI foods:

Glycemic Index of Fruit:

Apple 38

Cherries 22

Grapefruit 25

Grapes 46

Kiwi 52

Orange 44

Pear 38

Plum 39

Glycemic Index of Vegetables:

Broccoli 10

Cabbage 10

Carrots 49

Green Peas 48

Lettuce 10

Mushrooms 10

Onions 10

Red Peppers 10

Sweet Potato 54

Good combo’s of fats are good to add to this meal as well if you choose such as cashews, almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, low or no salt peanuts as this will keep amino acids in your blood throughout and after your workout.

Fats contain 9 calories per gram of fat and that makes them a great source of high sustaining energy for a workout!

Check out the GI on the following Fats:

Glycemic Index of Nuts:

Cashews 22

Peanuts 14

Walnuts 15

I was asked the question is there a difference between peanuts and the rest and yes there is. It comes down to the way they are processed. Peanuts are usually processed with a high amount of salt and those are the ones you want to stay away from. That is really the only difference worth mentioning but I prefer to go with the other choices of nuts rather than peanuts.

You'll also want to include protein in your pre-workout meal. Why? Because protein contains amino acids, the building blocks of muscle.

Choose a slow-digesting protein, such as meats, cottage cheese, Yogurt the high protein kind such as Chobani, protein shakes such as a slow burning casein.

So basically, you want a combo of the above to create a great pre-workout formula for sustaining an intense workout!

Your post workout meal should be just as important as this is where you are going to give back to your body everything that was just depleted.

For Post-workout you can use the combo of the Protein sources above, as well as, fish, chicken, lean meat that is 93% lean.

For your Carbohydrate source: choose a simple sugar that will replenish your vitamin and mineral stores. After an intense workout you will have depleted all of your energy stores. This is such an important meal to make sure your body doesn’t start to eat away at your amino acids in your muscles.

Apples, Blackberries, Cherry, Cranberries, I think you get where your simple sugars come from. A lot of fruits have what you need to get that body replenished.

Stay away from the sugars that are known as table sugars:

Candy, chocolate, muffins, oh I think you get the idea. Stay clear of these as all they will do is spike your insulin and this will just cause you to store fat and not release it for energy….

I hope this answers those questions that came in and I want to thank you for asking them. If you have any questions on this post you know what to do…. Comment below and I’ll answer them as they come in.

Until Next Time
Your Fit Coach,
Mike

Limits of LiabilityAll information and tools in this blog are intended as an aid to help healthy adults lose weight and not intended as medical advice. The information presented here is not for pregnant or breast-feeding women or for any person under the age of 18. If you suffer or think you may suffer from any medical condition you should consult your doctor before starting any weight loss exercise regime. Any weight loss exercise programs or diet should be started slowly and we advise you to always consult your doctor or physician beforehand.