I thought I would ask the blog world what they do because this is something I have struggled with for a long time. I workout to stay healthy, relieve stress, and keep my weight in check. I do like to compete, so I do following some training plans when I have big races coming up. My question is what do you eat before and after training runs? Of course it's going to vary depending on the workout and length of the workout. I don't mean the ones that are 10+ miles. I am thinking of the ones that you do during the week that are in the 6 mile range. I have read a lot on this and I know "experts" recommend chocolate milk after a workout. Well that's great and all for muscle growth and repair, but I am not sure I want to waste 200 calories with some chocolate milk. Now when I workout in the morning, I usually don't eat anything before hand, run, and then come home and eat whatever breakfast I plan on (oatmeal, smoothie, cereal, english muffin, etc.) I don't think about protein vs. carbs for my meal. I mostly eat what I am feeling like. Now I do eat pretty healthy; I try to limit processed foods as much as possible and leave sugar for my ice cream habit, so I don't go home and eat crap. I am wondering if this hurts my training though.
When I workout later in the day, I usually time it with my meals so I am not starving when I workout and then afterwards I have my afternoon snack which right now is usually either greek yogurt with Kashi GoLean mixed in or homemade trail mix (cashews, walnuts, and dried cranberries). Again, I go with what I feel like and not what are the nutritional breakdowns.
So, does this affect my training? Should I be sacrificing the calories and drinking chocolate milk after a workout? What do you do???
Interesting that you call chocolate milk "wasted calories" I prefer not to drink my calories either. Your afternoon snack sounds spot on with the right amount of protein and carbs, and a lot more satisfying too.
ReplyDeleteWhen I workout in the morning I don't eat breakfast until I get to work almost an hour later. I can definitely tell my muscles don't recover as quickly.
Have you read "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald? The suggested meal plans mirror the clean eating philosophy, but he also explains nutrient timing in great detail.
Keeping myself in shape is one of the reason that I jog around in Glendale parks and recreations, the other reason is to have fun seeing the people doing the same as I do.
ReplyDeleteAfter jogging around, I usually call my friends whenever they are free to watch some outdoor concerts. Denver parks really hits the spot, whenever I feel down at work, it's like watching TV, but with nature.