Search icon

Fitness & Health

31st May 2017

This is what you should eat before and after your workouts according to an expert

Follow these simple rules

Alan Loughnane

workouts

Fuel your workouts…

One of the most important things you need to do both before and after your workout, is to ensure that your body is fuelled correctly.

This will enable you to get the maximum from your workouts and allow your body to recover effectively following each session.

If you’re looking for some home exercises you can do, without any equipment, here are five of them you can do in the sanctuary of your own home.

Chris Jordan is an exercise physiologist who came up with a seven minute workout routine recently that went viral for its effectiveness and he spoke with Business Insider recently about the type of foods you should be putting into your body either side of your workouts.

He recommends two specific types of foods.

Prior to your workout you should aim to consume low glycemic foods, which have only minor changes in blood sugar levels.

The glycemic index (GI) is a number that represents the effect of a particular food item on a person’s blood sugar level.

Foods with low glycemic levels that should be consumed 1-2 hours before a workout according to Jordan include an “apple, some walnuts or almonds, a small low-fat yogurt, some hummus and carrots, a piece of whole wheat toast, or a couple of hard-boiled eggs.”

A second food which should be consumed after is an item which combines both carbohydrates and protein to ensure that you’re getting all nutrients required to heal your muscles and give you energy.

“Chocolate milk is an ideal post-workout snack since it provides carbohydrates, protein, fluid, electrolytes,” Jordan said. As long as the chocolate milk is low-fat, that is.

But there’s countless other things you can consume such as your standard chicken and rice to get these essential fuels into you.

Jordan said that these foods will give you more energy throughout the day and allow you to pursue your fitness goals.

LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge