Your Health Saudi Magazine مجلة دليلك الصحي Oct 2013 | Page 31

best guide. If you are exercising to
lose weight, go easy on the energy
supplements. They contain extra
calories that you probably don’t need.

but the basic rule is to eat just a little
more carbohydrates than protein,
and to consume about 2 calories
of carbohydrate for every pound of
target bodyweight. For example, if
What Should You Eat After a
your target bodyweight is 150lbs,
Workout?
you should eat about 300 calories
There is a window of time about 20of carbohydrate, and about half that
60 minutes after you exercise in which many calories of protein. A sample
your muscles will readily accept the
post-workout meal would be chicken
carbohydrates and protein that you
with brown rice, yogurt with almonds,
consume and suck them up to be
or a protein shake with a banana.
stored away as precious energy and
building blocks for recovery. But if you Take Home Message
wait too long after exercising to eat,
As you can see, when it comes to
your body become less likely to use
getting fit, nutrition is just as big a
what you eat as fuel and recovery, and part of the equation as exercise. That
more likely to run out of energy during doesn’t mean you need to arrive at the
your next exercise session, whether
gym with a grocery shopping bag full
later in the day or even the next
of fruit, or a 24-pack of energy drinks,
day. The ideal post-workout meal is
but it does mean that you should
comprised of a blend of carbohydrates plan ahead to give your body the
and protein. There are all sorts of
fuel it needs for fitness. Don’t worryfancy ratios used by elite athletes,
-you aren’t going to sabotage your
fat-loss efforts as long as you fuel in
moderation.

YOUR HEALTH MAGAZINE OCT. 2013 | 31