Some of the common fitness and exercise questions I get asked as a local personal trainer are included in this blog. I recorded this when we had a power outage, so apologies about the lighting and the blur (which is caused by the lighting).
However, I wanted to make sure I got the message across when it was all in my mind and I had the inspiration to talk about how MastersPT can help you move closer to your goals in health and fitness.
Water is Generally Sodium Deficient
That means adding a small pinch of himalayan salt will provide you with some essential electrolytes that you need to improve your hydration and absorption.
Have this before, after and during your workout. If you add electrolytes to your water during training you’re not going to taste salty water, but what you will see is that it gives you more “energy” during your training sessions. It helps by preventing muscles from cramping up and
What about lucozade and energy drinks?
These types of drinks while they have some good electrolytes in also contain a lot of sugars. Sugars are what you don’t need when you’re training (they’re better afterwards). If you take on an excess amount of sugars during training and you don’t burn them off then you’ll store them as fat.
There is one stage that if you’re suffering from hypoglycemia (where your blood sugar has dropped too low) then that’s the point when you want to be eating sugars.
Now, hypoglycemia is pretty rare but people do get it and it’s linked to when you haven’t properly nourished your body before your workout. When you have a fitness workout (whether on your own in the gym or with a Masters personal trainer at our fitness studio gym), you’ll be pushed hard. That means you need an abundance of stored energy to give you the glucose in your blood to help replenish your muscles.
What’s a good meal to eat before workout?
A good meal to eat before you have your fitness session is something that will improve the neurotransmitters in the brain. So, meat and nuts are always a great thing to have or a strong black coffee.
Why?
Because before training you want your cortisol levels to be as high as possible so that you can get as much training drive as you want. This means that your muscles will contract better and that you’ll have more forced production through your muscles.
This leads to a better breakdown of them and then they repair and rebuild into stronger ones.
So, anything that is high in caffeine, fats or protein is good before your workout at the gym. Just don’t consume carbs or sugars. They are for after you’ve burnt everything off during your session.
Eating sugars before your workout will make you tired and weak and you won’t be able to put everything into your workout as you want.
Other Pre-Workout Meals
Some other ones that are great are:
- eggs
- any kind of meat
- any kind of nuts
- legumes
- cheese
Essentially, you want to be consuming anything that has high quality fats and proteins in it. And, if you do have any fats (like nuts) then try to go for organic because toxins store in fats. So, if you’re taking fats into your body then you want them to be toxic free.
Be careful with sausage and ensure that they’re gluten free though because most people (75%) in society these days are gluten intolerant. What that means is that your body will take those nutrients and store them as fat (not great if your goal is weight loss).
Where is Gluten
Well, it’s a protein molecule found in most grains; things like:
- bread
- pasta
- cakes
- biscuits
There are a handful of grains that are gluten free: millet, rice, corn and buckwheat. You will see these on the ingredients list of free from and gluten free produce in your local supermarket. You can buy gluten free oats, but lots of those gluten free oats do contain some element of gluten because of how and where they’re manufactured.
When before training should I eat?
Ensure that at least 45 minutes before your workout that you’ve eaten everything you need to. A lot of personal training clients at MPT ensure they’ve eaten what they need by at least one hour before their fitness session with us. That way they’re body has started to process and digest the food that they’ve eaten and it’s not going to have an issue if they train hard.
If you consume food inside this window you’ll also impede your body’s ability to digest the food too. So, ensure you eat something a little before coming to the gym.
During the hour before your workout it’s the ideal time to consume a pre-workout drink or shake.
Why?
When you’re training you boost your cortisol stress hormone, which means other parts of your body are relaxed and not as focused.
Your digestion, your immune system and your pain receptors are all suppressed because your body is trying to protect itself from the “danger” it perceives you’re putting it under by working out and increasing your cortisol levels.
What should I eat after workout?
You need to get nutrition into your body quickly. The longer it takes you from finishing your fitness session to consuming some nutrients the lower the absorbancy of those nutrients into you body. And your body really wants those nutrients.
That’s why a lot of people use protein shakes, and they’re great as long as the whey or protein powder is as minimally processed as can be. Ideally, you want to have some actual (aka real) food, such as some meats, fish or eggs will always be better than a shake or a protein bar that is processed.
Also, you’ll find that you should consume something within 30 minutes of ending your session. This will help you with recovery and help your body develop for the future.
