A little good advice

During lunch today, I did a little pinterest surfing, and came across a site called The Happy Gal. In the post she had for September 9, 2013, she discusses eating before working out, and drinking protein shakes after. If you want to read the whole thing, go here, but the excerpts that stood out most to me said:

Remember that our whole objective is to build muscle.  Our muscle is the only thing that can burn fat for us (see my post Food is Your Friend.)  So it’s probably a good thing to know that when you begin exercising on an empty stomach (as in the early morning), guess what your body starts burning?  Muscle.  Yikes! 

Pre-workout

This little piece of information was enough to sell me on pre-workout nutrition.  If you have the time before you go, you can have something like half a banana or apple.  Just be aware that food takes 30 minutes to digest, and you’ll want it to be digested so your body can use that food as an energy source instead of using your muscles.  If you like to exercise first thing in the morning, like me, then you’re going to need another plan.  I’m sorry, but I’m just not willing to get up 30 minutes earlier so I can eat half an apple and then wait around to go to the gym.

The solution for me was to find a pre-metabolized protein powder. Pre-metabolized simply means that your body can instantly convert this into energy, and so it is a ready fuel source for body to burn when I hit the weights or the treadmill at 5:30 in the morning.Each morning I mix a few tablespoons of Isa Pro with 1/2 c. water, and then send it down the hatch just before I walk out the door to the gym.

Remember, we want to build up and preserve muscle in everything we do.  Knowing the facts about what our body burns when we exercise on an empty stomach makes this little tidbit a pretty important part of your workout routine. 

Post Workout

This is what always killed me.  As I mentioned before, the last thing I wanted to do after exercising was to replenish calories I had just worked so hard to burn.  One of the best things I’ve learned when it comes to exercise and nutrition is this:  nourishing your muscles after you have just broken them down during exercise is the fastest way to build them back up.  And how do we nourish our muscles?  I talked all about it in the Eat Smarter, Not Harder post?  Protein.  And even better than regular old protein from chicken or eggs is – you guessed it – instantly metabolized protein (a.k.a. protein drinks.)  So it turns out that all of those body builders at the gym aren’t morons after all!  They are simply working with the science of nutrition and exercise.  Immediate nourishment for fatigued muscles not only repairs them more quickly, it enables them to accelerate their calorie-burning potential for up to 38 hours after exercising!  This process is called EPOC   (Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption) and is available to utilize within 45-60 minutes after exercise.  Simply look for a protein source (protein shakes are ideal) with approximately 15 grams of protein, 20-30 grams of carbs, less than 6 grams of fat, and under 200 calories.

The same can be done using Shakeology or any other protein powder. I've found that I also like the Raw protein powder, especially in vanilla chai flavor, so I've started buying that as well. Case in point today - I was in a bit of a rush this morning, so I slammed down some yogurt, a little apple juice, and flew out the door. Lunch was reheated cheese, red pepper, and spinach pizza with water, and between breakfast and lunch, I've had a Clif bar. I. Am. Starving. My normal breakfast includes one of these protein shakes, and I'm seeing the difference - it's not good. I just have a granola bar to get me the rest of the way til 4, when I can go home and make dinner. In the mean time, I'm using water as a filler. The only upside to this is that I'm 15 oz into my required 48 ounces (thank you, 20 oz water bottle!), and still have 3 hours to drink more. On top of all that, I still have a workout to do tonight. I just hope I don't get a migraine or pass out before then.

Be smart, eat healthy, and drink your protein shakes!