Get Some....Pre and Post Workout Nutrition!

Little Miss Strong's Little Tip #5: Eat before and after you workout...your muscles WILL thank you! Eat smart, eat clean, but most importantly...EAT! :-)

It's easy to understand that in order to get in good shape and get that great body or get stronger, we need to exercise, right? What people don't realize is that nutrition is actually an incredibly important part of being in shape and performing well. We always hear that if we don't eat a lot of calories or food we will lose weight. I see girls eating little plain salads everyday for lunch and skipping dinner and want to yell, "EAT MORE!" If your body isn't filled with the right foods, you won't be able to get the most out of your exercise routines and won't be as strong as you can be. The secret is that the opposite of what we believe is true...the more nutritious foods you eat, the easier it is to burn fat and build muscle. Everyday meals like breakfast, lunch and dinner are very important, but what people forget about is how important it is to eat a meal before and after working out! Pre and post workout nutrition is a topic that many people don't quite understand, and therefore decide to ignore. How could eating moreee food, before and after working out help you get leaner and toner?! Let's talk about what to eat before and after working out. Drop the plain salad leaves please, and pull out your blender.

This is my post-workout meal after training hard
and a good example of balancing nutrients. Vegetables
and potato are carbs, chicken is protein. 

Nutrition is a huge factor for burning fat and building muscle. To summarize...you need to have the right nutrition in your diet when you are working out a lot. There are so many scientific explanations, rules, myths, tips, and guidelines out there about what to eat and what not to eat. It's so easy to get confused...when you google what to eat for lunch to lose weight, you just want one simple answer! There are scientific explanations that are helpful to learn about...for example, when you eat a lot of carbohydrates (bread, for example) your body increases insulin, and insulin decreases the ability to burn fat. Yes, we should probably know that, but no...we really don't care. We don't care about big words, we don't care about learning about things like "insulin"...we care about looking good in our mini summer bikini. We want to be told what to eat before and after working out, and we want it to work.

I used to get annoyed because I wanted to be told what to eat for every meal so that I'd look good and build a lot of muscle from working out. The annoying part was that no one would give me examples or meal plans because they wanted me to understand what I was eating. The other annoying part was that I kept reading the scientific reasoning behind food and nutrition, and would stop after seeing the word "polysaccharides." In the long run, if you really want to change your body and look good, you do need to understand nutrition and why you should eat certain things. And a very good step, is understanding pre and post workout nutrition!

If you eat the right foods, your body can burn fat for up to a day and a half after training! What you eat before working out (pre-workout) and after working out (post-workout) is different, and equally important.

PRE-WORKOUT: Pre-workout meals are usually eaten 60-90 minutes before exercising (so they can digest and provide nutrients to your body) and help you reach your full potential while training. Meals eaten before a workout are different for everyone, and nutrition really does vary from person to person. What works for one person might not work for you. In general, it is good to remember that before you workout, you should eat about 70% complex carbs (fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, oatmeal) and protein. Fast protein (like a protein bar or shake) can provide your body with quick energy closer to your workout if you don't have time to eat a whole meal. I usually have something like a small Greek yogurt with a slice of ezekiel bread spread with almond butter.

       Pre-Workout Meal Examples:

• 6 oz. grilled chicken with sweet potato and asparagus 
• Eggs/egg whites with oatmeal
• Turkey wrap with vegetables 
• Meat with brown rice
• Oatmeal with whey protein mixed in
• Apples, raisins, nuts, almond butter on celery sticks                                     

POST-WORKOUT: Eating a post-workout meal can prolong fat burning by increasing protein synthesis and allowing the body to recover. Wait what. Training and working out puts a lot of stress on your body. When you exercise intensely, all the stored up energy in your body is used up so the body resorts to something called glycolysis to replace all the energy being used. Oh...my. Basically, this is a fancy word to describe a process the body goes through, converting sugars (carbs) into ATP...AND ENERGY! So, you want to fill your body with foods that will help you recover and grow/repair muscle. Post-workout meals are usually eaten 20-60 minutes after. When you eat protein (meat, yogurt, fish) the body breaks it down into amino acids, so that your muscles tissue can repair and grow! A protein shake is very good after a workout because it absorbs very quickly. There are all different types of proteins to add to shakes...whey protein, rice protein...yellow pea protein. However, don't eliminate your carbs! Vegetables, berries, fruit, nuts...all have some carbs that are good to eat after training. Remember to eat a combination of carbs and protein for a post-workout meal.

    Post-Workout Meal Examples:

• Whey protein shake or protein powder with an apple
• Chocolate milk...yes, that's right :)
• Protein pancakes
• Bagel with egg whites 
• Some sports drinks (replace lost nutrients)
• Fruit (apples, bananas)
• Grilled chicken with potatoes/rice and vegetables

Be kind to your muscles, your body, and even your heart...eat enough food and fill yourself with nutrients and nutritious choices. Eat before and after you workout so that you can reach your full potential while training, and recover after. No more plain salads and lettuce leaves....unless, you choose to add in some meat and good hardcore grilled chicken. 

Eat smart. Eat clean. But most importantly...PLEASE EAT! 

-Lil Miss Strong

Get Knocked Down. Get Unstoppable.

Sometimes we fall from our setbacks (injuries, sickness) but tough times never last, and tough people do. One tough adversity can prove to make you stronger, braver...and quite frankly....unstoppable. 

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” - Helen Keller.

This has been a rough winter. With an intimidating and nasty flu circulating and cold winds blowing, many of us have faced tough times and have been set back from reaching our goals or training in some way, myself included. In times of physical discomfort...whether you've had the flu for 4 weeks or have torn a muscle and are currently restricted from training for awhile, it's incredibly easy to suffer from frustration and weakness. It's easy to forget that many people in life are set back, and even easier to hold on to the inner frustration and impatience of being sick or "out" for a prolonged time. It can take awhile for our bodies to get in shape and into the rhythm of training everyday, and once we're on a great roll...hello there flu season. One day you're in the gym smiling at your fast growing biceps, and the next you're knocked down, literally, on your couch with a bowl of chicken broth. Quiet the change of scenery...and quite the change of emotion and challenge of inner strength.

People always write about how to stay healthy during the winter....the right foods to eat to get rid of a cold, the smart strategies to prevent catching germs. But personally, I think that's overrated. Because in all honesty, when you love working out and are excited to get in shape...when fitness is something that your life is centered around and you're suddenly set back by an unexpected situation like an injury or an illness, you don't want to hear about how you should've washed your hands after touching the grocery store shopping cart. All you care about is hearing that you will get better, that others are in the same situation, and that your suffering and anguish of sitting on the sidelines will soon pass. I know how sitting out feels, because just like many of the victims out there this year, I've been out for almost 2 months. Yes, at first it was angering and frustrating. By week 3 I was draped over my couch, torturing myself by watching clips of Olympic sprinters training on TV, knowing that I couldn't even walk. And then I experienced the short period of feeling sorry for myself for not being able to work out...when we're really sick or injured, we always feel like we're the only one experiencing such an ordeal and ask, "Whyyyy me?!" Am I right? Don't say no. 

Sometimes we are challenged,
pushed to our limits. But we are
pushed to become stronger, suck
it up, and just do it. 

It's easy to feel like the course of being sick or injured will never come to end...and it's excruciating waiting for the day when we can start slowly training again, and living life happily and healthily. However, I've realized something from my set back, that I want to pass on to all of you too. Realize that with fitness and training, we get knocked down. Accept it. I was talking to a friend today...his entire life is centered around training. He spends his time training for bodybuilding competitions in the gym after school and writes up training and diet plans for people for fun....so that wasn't a joke...his life is centered around training. Today he told me that he tore his ACL the day before he was recruited to play rugby for a team in South Africa. It's difficult enough pulling a muscle before a basketball game or getting a stomach ache before a big meet...some injuries are more severe than others, but most injuries related to sports and training are inconvenient. As unfortunate as his situation is, it proves that we all go through rough times, at the wrong times. There is never a good time to get sick or injured. Being set back will affect you, both physically and mentally, and let's be honest...it's rough. When you accept the situation for what it is, you can begin to move forward, recover, and be happy. 

This young girl was injured for 7
months, and as soon as her cast
came off...she completed a 10K.

There are two ways to handle a situation in which you're set back from training. At first I chose option A, and I lay in bed for weeks feeling impatient, frustrated and longing to walk on a treadmill. Then...being out from training forced me to grow up, get over it, and move on. Option B. We have to make the best of our situations, of our set backs, and of our adversities. It is the strength deep inside of all of us...that little voice in both our hearts and our heads, that tells us to keep going and to get through our tough situation or our time of suffering. That is the same voice that pushes you in the gym, on the field, on the track, and in the weight room. That voice is your strength. When you push through being set back from doing something you love, you grow immensely as a person and develop the strong characteristic that you can then use to come back, and fight harder than ever. Push through the pain of your illness or injury like you would push through the pain of lifting heavy weights or running. A lot of times in life we have to do things that are uncomfortable, that we don't want to do.  What distinguishes the strong people from those who aren't very successful, is the way they handle their adversity. Don't let pain and suffering win...like they all say, if you're already hurt get a reward from it! 

The conclusion? No...I didn't talk about what type of tea to make for the winter flu or what vitamins to take to prevent a terrible cold. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger (yes, I LOVE that Kelly Clarkson song). What you should remember, is that tough times never last, but tough people do. Rise from your setback, your struggle...your adversity. And heck...use it to your advantage...to be a stronger person, and to recover and train harder than ever. 

So my medicine for you this winter? 

BE STRONG. BE POSITIVE. BUT BE UNSTOPPABLE. 

-Lil Miss Strong