Fueling for Movement: Before, During, After
LET’S TALK ABOUT FUEL; SPECIFICALLY FUELING OUR BODIES FOR MOVEMENT.
Reminder: ALL BODIES ARE MADE TO MOVE and if you move your body, you need to fuel for it!
We see time and time again the lack of fueling for movement. This can be a HIIT workout, a run, a recreational swim, going up and down the stairs…the movement possibilities are endless.
Fueling before, during, and after movement is important to be able to get the
most out of your activity and aid your body to recover properly.
Let’s talk about 5 tips to properly fuel for movement:
1. Eat Before
Properly fueling before movement is a must to give your body energy to do its
best work! Always ask yourself when the last time you ate was. If it has been
more than 2 hours since your last meal, eat a snack consisting of mostly
carbohydrates within one hour of movement. Some great options are
crackers, raisins, a piece of fruit, granola bars, or dry cereal such as
Cheerios. *Tip: always keep a few snacks in your car/bag just in case!
2. Eat During, if needed
Monitor your movement or activity days. If you are constantly moving for more
than 45 minutes, give yourself some fuel! Just like a snack before, keep some
high carbohydrate options on hand to snack on such as dried fruit,
orange/apple slices, granola bars, or applesauce. *Tip: aim for those snacks
that have high water content to make sure you are staying hydrated during
your activity such as fruit.
3. Eat After
Consuming foods high in protein and carbohydrates after practice help our
muscles recover!
*Myth: We only need protein for recovery. False! Our bodies need protein for recovery AND we cannot fully absorb protein in to our muscles unless we have carbohydrates present as well!
Encourage yourself to eat something within two hours after practice. Some great options are a piece of fruit and peanut butter, yogurt with granola or berries, chocolate milk, whole wheat toast with peanut butter, or trail mix.
4. Hydration is Key!
Always make sure you have a water bottle handy! I always tell people that this is a good thing to splurge on. The more you love your water bottle, the more you will use it. Depending on the size of the bottle, aim to consume one bottle before, one bottle during, and one bottle after movement to ensure proper Hydration. *Fact: we do not only need water but we also need electrolytes as well! Read more about that in one of our blog posts HERE: https://worleynutritiongroup.com/new-blog/https/wwwjamisonworleyrdncom/new-blog-5
5. Be Creative and Have Fun!
This is a great time for you to have fun and get creative in creating snacks before, during, or after events. The more involved you are with your fueling techniques, the more you realize how important it is for you.
One step further:
For those athletes who want a good baseline to improve the body’s ability to use its fuel sources more efficiently when training, we start to get a little bit more specific. I am going to highlight a little bit below but reach out if this is you and happy to provide more details and information for training and competition as this is very sport specific!
Fueling for metabolic efficiency for base training:
Before workouts/training:
Fluids: 20-24oz 2-3hrs before or 12-16oz 45-60min before
Snack consisting of 15-30grams carbs and 10-20g protein with a high water content
Example: slice of peanut butter toast with an apple and spoonful of peanut butter
During:
Fluids: 3-6oz every 15-20 min, frequent sweat rate testing is recommended
No fuel unless training is over 3 hours
There are specific electrolytes we look for during: reach out to learn more!
After
Fluids: 16-24oz immediately post training
Snack within 1-3 hours consisting of a 1:1 carb to protein ratio
As always, there is no right or wrong here. Just simple education. A big thing we focus on at Worley Nutrition Group is educating and empowering. There is so much misinformation out there and we see it all the time in our office. Education is power and hope you continue to take this in to account as you fuel your body!
Reach out if you want more specifics and plans tailored to YOU!