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Thursday, February 4, 2016

Pre & Post Workout Foods

So you’re starting at the gym, you have your workouts down…but you’re still eating the same  -_-

You need to get yourself into your own little habits of proper eating. In order to make sure your body is rewarded for all of its hard work through the workouts, make it happy :) Before even beginning the day and heading to the gym, you need to reserve some special time making yourself the biggest meal of the day – BREAKFAST!

Start off with eggs - alternate days of eating just the egg whites or the whole thing (I have two every morning). Cook them in boiling water – so they’re poached (which means no oils or butter). Set aside a single piece of dry wheat Ezekiel toast (organic and gluten-free). Finish with a large blend of your own fruit smoothie. My personal creation: 2 whole bananas, crushed ice, Greek non-fat vanilla yogurt, a little bit of milk and a touch of vanilla extract). I LOVE bananas. After every little bit is gone, get going to the gym!

After your amazing, dripping sweat off of your face workout, eat again! The key is to allow your body to properly recover from your workout. In order to do this, you need to focus on foods that help your muscles recover and your energy restore itself. Almost four times a week I make myself an awesome protein salad! I get a power blend bag that is mixed with spring garnishes like spinach and kale. I cook fresh, organic chicken tender filets and then cube them up to throw onto my salad. I like to have a little zest so red onion is a must! Blue cheese is a weakness of mine so I typically LOVE to add these little crumbles into nearly EVERY salad I eat. Then, I go CRAZY on the nuts! I use a special pre-mixed blend of all types of nuts, seeds and berries. Pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries are all thrown into the mix! Last, I finish with a pomegranate vinaigrette dressing.  

It’s okay if you don’t have the time or money to run out and buy all of these great foods – there are plenty of other snacks that will substitute just fine for your body’s best results. Something with a proper balance of carbs, proteins, and fats will be the best option for you. Chocolate milk, rice, potatoes, cheese and crackers, or even a simple peanut butter sandwich will work just perfectly. If you are still looking for even further options, check out this great article I found of 50 awesome pre- and post- workout foods!


Cheers!

Meg

4 comments:

  1. Megan,
    Great blog! I must confess, I hardly ever eat breakfast and I am in no way organized about what I eat the rest of the time either. I buy books on healthy eating, but end up sliding into poor eating habits anyway. You make me want to throw everything out of my fridge and finally change for the better!

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    Replies
    1. Kerry, thanks for the comment! Habits are hard to break out of but they are easier to form. If you really try to focus yourself into a great eating habit, when you start seeing results it will be hard to break from that habit as well.
      Enjoy reading more posts in the future.
      Cheers!

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  2. Great blog. I remember when I first started going to the gym regularly and it took me some time to change my eating habits. It's a hard task to do but once you do it, it will become a habit and you will easily see and feel the rewards.

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