How to Fuel Your Body For Exercise and Weight Loss

Knowing how to fuel your body for optimal performance is vital if you are serious about working out regularly and reaching your fitness goals. This means you must take a fresh look at what you eat and how to eat it before and after your workout sessions.

Kounsel Live hosted Nick Padula to talk about fueling your body correctly and getting the most out of your workouts. This conversation is essential because what and when you eat is critical to your workout's performance and significantly impacts how your body utilizes the calories you consume.

If you follow these proven tips for healthy nutrition, you'll be well-prepared for your next cardio, pilates, or workout on the stairs workout session.

Carbohydrates as fuel for the body
Carbohydrates are not your enemy. In fact, they are the best source of fuel for the body and essential for sustaining life. If you are not eating carbs, you will enter a fog where you feel lethargic and dehydrated.

Carbs help the body hydrate the cells. It moves water into the cells, and carbs are broken down into fuel. A study recommends that carbs account for 50-60% of daily calories for people who exercise. So, if you do high-intensity workout sessions or exercise for a long time, you should add healthy, complex carbs to your plate.

Sources of complex carbs include fruits, vegetables, and grains. Complex carbs are vital for your body's post-workout recovery because you might experience a drop in your blood sugar during workouts. When this happens, you are at risk of a muscle breakdown, which can be averted by fueling your body with healthy complex carbs.

How to fuel your body with protein
Proteins are great for building lean muscle mass. It is also helpful for building, maintaining, and repairing body tissues.

The amount of protein you require depends on your weight and the exercise you engage in. Getting 15 to 20% of one's daily calories from protein is what the American College of Sports Medicine recommends.

If you want to build lean muscle mass, you may need to eat more protein than those who are only doing endurance exercises. A study in Nutrition and Metabolism found that eating protein more often throughout the day boosts muscle growth. This might imply increasing the protein in the breakfast, which for many individuals is a low-protein meal, and reducing protein intake at dinner.

What to eat before, during, and after a workout session
Many people struggle with whether or not they should eat something before working out, especially if they work out first thing in the morning, right after waking up.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Before exercising: An ideal mix of beneficial carbohydrates, fats, and protein will help you get ready 1-2 hours before your workout session.
During your workout, you don't have to eat carbohydrates during exercises that last less than 30 minutes. If your training is more than an hour, eat 30-60g of carbohydrates every hour to replenish your ATP and avoid fatigue. This can be a fruit or a Gatorade.

After exercising: Be sure to eat carbohydrates and complete protein within 30 minutes of completing your exercise. This helps with fuel recovery and sustaining hardworking bodies after an intense workout. Real food like a sandwich is best; however, you can drink a protein shake or whey protein as a supplement.