Exercise is important, as most of us know. It is so important, in fact, that research has shown that daily exercise can add up to 4 years to your life. But nutrition is also important and goes hand-in-hand with exercise. In order to be able to exercise, you need fuel to keep your body going. Proper nutrition helps to build muscle and maintain a healthy weight. Below, we’ll explain a bit more about which foods (and what ratios) are best for improving your workout routine.
What to eat
Many fitness experts recommend consuming carbohydrates in a 3 to 1 ratio. Further more, if you include a healthy fat in your meal (coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil) it will help you absorb the nutrients from your meal. Be sure just to include a small amount of healthy fat (say, one teaspoon). Before your workout, have a small meal and allow time to digest. Stay away from high starchy foods before your workout (like breads and bagels) because your body will be working on digesting that heavy starch rather than giving all available energy to your workout routine. Instead, you need a usable food that will quickly turn into energy to provide you with stamina. For example, dates are a highglycemic food and are great before a workout. They have a quick release for instant energy, rather than a sustained one.
What to drink
It is important to consume plenty of water because you’ll be sweating throughout your workout. As you sweat, you lose sodium and water. Because of this, it is important to drink water plus electrolytes. A great way to get electrolytes is through consuming coconut water, which is quickly being recognized as an athlete-friendly beverage. It is important to replenish electrolytes and you can also buy a powdered mix of electrolytes to add to your water. Before your workout or throughout the day, you can also consider drinking a natural energy drink. It can give you a quick dose of energy while also boosting your immune system. But that’s only the case if you choose the right energy drink, as some are very high in mostly just sugar and caffeine – leading to a quick buzz but then a huge drop in energy when it wears off. Consider a natural energy drink like MonaVie-EMV, which is packed with antioxidants from green tea and acai. It also contains yerba mate and other herbal compounds.
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