Thirty two year-old Rachna Seth will vouch for it ? ?exercise doesn?t work. Period.? The 32-year-old marketing executive has been slogging it out in the gym for the last one year but without any real results to talk home about. But unlike others who face the same predicament, Seth modestly takes credit for the failure. She feels so exhilerated on those few days when she manages to battle boredom and lethargy to hit the gym, that she ends up eating more than she does on regular days. ?I feel more hungry and less guilty about food on such days,? she says. So, while she is focussing on one cardinal rule for weight loss (exercise), she is ignoring the other one (nutrition).
Whether it is yoga, strength training, or simple aerobics ? the nutritional basics that you maintain along with your workout can make a world of difference to the results you achieve at the end of the day. ?The efficiency of the workout depends on the nutrition of the person and the timings of the intake of diet before and after the workout. Diet before the workout increases the performance of the person during the workout and the diet after helps in replenishing the nutrients and in muscle building,? says Raman Sood, MD, Grand Slam Fitness.
Health wisdom
Most people, especially those trying to lose weight, tend to cut back on their food intake believing that will lead their bodies to eat into its stored fat reserves. This strategy often backfires. ?Instead of losing weight, people land up in a zone where their body slows down the calorie-burning process, indirectly inhibiting their ultimate goals,? explains Gaurav Makkar, Fitness Trainer, Ozone Fitness Club. ?It is very important to maintain the right glucose levels in the body to workout and also to manage the hormones. So, someone exercising to lose weight does not need too much carbs but protein intake 45 minutes prior to the workout is essential,? adds Makkar. On the other hand, to gain some lean weight one should take the right mix of protein and carbs of low glycemic index 45 minutes prior to the workout. Also, completely avoiding fats and carbs and consumption of high protein isn?t right either. Macronutrients of all kinds are essential to achieve any fitness goal.
Post workout nutrition is as important. It goes a long way in preventing muscle soreness. ?Ideally, one should eat within one-and-a-half hours of working out. The body is like a sponge at this time and its capacity to absorb the nutrients is at its peak. The rate of digestion and assimilation of the nutrients is also very high,? explains Sood. So make the most of this hour. However, Leslie Bonci, Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre in her NYT blog recommends eating something within 15 minutes. ?The enzymes that help the body re-synthesise muscle glycogen are really most active in that first 15 minutes. The longer we wait to eat something, the longer it takes to recover.?
What?s on your plate
Wondering what your ideal platter should be like? Sood suggests complex carbohydrates such as apple, banana, oats/ wheat flakes (half bowl), one whole wheat toast, high fibre biscuits (just one or two) as ideal pre workout snacks. These also aid in recovery of injured tissues during workout. Post workout diets should be high in protein and moderate in terms of carbohydrates. So you can opt for lean meat, egg white, whey, low fat milk and milk products or soya in the protein category and whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, dalia, brown rice etc for your carb intake.
The timing of the meal before and after the workout is also crucial because though the body can produce energy from stored fuel, it relies on the energy derived from food sources to allow for sustained physical activity and improvements in performance, says trainer Rajesh Kumar of Elemention Health Club. The nutritional intake also varies according to the intensity of the workouts. And the intensity here refers less to the duration of the workout and more to how strenous the exercise undertaken is. But if you are exercising for more than an hour, eat during the workout as well ? a fistful (30-60 gms) will do.
However, the idea is not to overstuff yourself like Seth either. Bonci, also the author of Sports Nutrition for Coaches advises eating one hour prior to the workout and recommends no more than a fist sized amount. She also recommends drinking about half a litre of liquid an hour before the workout ? the time it takes for the liquid to leave the stomach and make its way into the muscle. This keeps the body well hydrated for the workout and maintains the electrolyte balance. So, try the slog and grill basics. They might just help you move the scales left.
