Eating and working out go hand in hand. Everything you put into your body affects how you feel and how you move, whether you are casually exercising or training intensely. It is important to be conscious and intentional about what you eat in order to achieve your workout goals. Start the Day Right If you exercise in the morning, it is important to get enough fuel before your workout. Studies suggest that eating or drinking carbohydrates before exercise can improve workout performance and may allow you to work out for a longer time or at a higher intensity. If you avoid doing this, you might feel sluggish or lightheaded when you exercise. Some good options to eat before working out include an energy bar, a banana, an apple or other fresh fruit, yogurt, a smoothie, a whole-grain bagel or crackers, peanut butter or a sports drink. Understand Portion Sizes It is important to understand how much food you eat and when you eat it. Be careful to not to overdo it when it comes to how much you eat before exercise. Save you large meals for at least three to four hours before exercising and your small meals or snacks about one to three hours before exercising. How much food you need to eat depends entirely on the person. It is not always as simple as calories in versus calories out when it comes to weight, but if you consume more each day than you use up, you will usually put on weight. If you consume fewer calories than you need for energy, you will likely lose weight. This is called a caloric deficit and is known as any shortage in the amount of calories consumed relative to the amount of calories required for maintenance of current body weight. Find Balance With anything in life, it is important to find balance. You never want to overwork yourself and cause injury, exhaustion, or find yourself forming an unhealthy habit. When it comes to eating and exercise, everyone is different. So listen to your body and pay attention to how you feel. Don’t be afraid to take a day off or have a cheat meal every once in a while. Check out The RJF Anabolic Cookbook filled with premium recipes that are designed to make weight loss & dieting a FUN process.
