What if I told you that you could actually eat to get fit? Has your day just been made? This mind-blowing statement is true in a sense. When you conquer a tough workout, your body is craving nourishment so it can feed its muscles.
Eating (the right foods) after a strength workout will boost your metabolism. Eating the appropriate foods before a workout will increase performance in the gym while eating post-workout is necessary for building calorie-burning muscle throughout the day.
How to Boost Your Workout Results
Here are five common easy to make foods you can consume on a daily basis when you are training to get strong.
Black Coffee
Go ahead and pour yourself a cup of black coffee before hitting the gym. Avoid coffee drinks loaded with sugar and milks. Those are high in calories, and fat and will weigh you down.
Coffee has been known to increase athletic performance. Plus, you’ll feel happier and more alert, thus extending your workout.
But avoid the temptation to skip a meal and only drink coffee before a workout. Your body needs fuel as well, which brings me to some great power foods.
Brown Rice and Eggs
Post-workout meals should include a protein like chicken or eggs. Your body uses protein to build and repair muscles after a hard lift.
Your body also needs carbs to restore glycogen. Brown rice, with black beans, and a protein like eggs or chicken, is the perfect meal after a workout session.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is considered a superfood, and for a good reason. This ideal carbohydrate-rich food is full of fiber, low in fat, and slow-digesting, so you can go for longer periods of time without needing to eat again.
Oats are great before a workout combined with fruit and nut butter. (See photo above) You can find this Oatmeal recipe on Fixate.
Oats can be eaten in many different ways, with many different foods, so you’ll never get bored. Try a cup of oatmeal in the morning with cinnamon and chia seeds. You can also add a tablespoon of natural plant-based protein powder.
Bananas
A banana is good after a workout to replenish glycogen stores. A great go-to snack when I’m feeling depleted after a workout is a banana with a protein source like Beachbody Chocolate Recover shake or 2 hard-boiled eggs.
A filling and refreshing snack, bananas are easily-digestible and packed with carbs, potassium, and the natural sugar your body lost during a workout.
One of the best things about this snack is that you can eat it on the go.
Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes seem to be the carbohydrate at the top of everyone’s healthy food list. They are rich in carbs, vitamin A, potassium, fiber, etc.
They also taste good!
Quick Recipe to Boost Workout Results: Roast or steam a cup of sweet potatoes. Mix with steamed veggies like broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, and carrots, in olive oil, with pepper and garlic for the perfect post-workout bite.
Your partner in health,
Autumn
