Join Me For Another 10 Weeks! This is the first week of ten weeks starting October 22, 2012

Hi folks! I'm at it again. I'm going for another 20 pound loss in ten weeks. I've recently had another baby, a little girl, she is now five months old and I'm ready to drop some weight.





Wednesday, March 10, 2010

How To Fuel Your Body...And A Sneak Peak

Good day to you all!
Thanks for your comments on yesterday's post. I hope I was helpful in explaining why it is important to fuel your body for your work outs.
In this post, I would like to talk about how to go about properly fueling your body depending on when you are working out and how long the work-out lasts.
There are two types of fuel that our body uses which can easily turn into glycogen to use as fuel for our bodies. They are complex carbohydrates also known as slow acting carbohydrates and then simple carbohydrates, also known as fast acting carbohydrates.
Slow acting carbs, true to their name, take about 45 minutes after consumption for your body to start reaping the benefits of the energy. An example of a slow acting carb would be something like brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread...those type of carbs. This is a great fuel to eat if you are able to plan your work-outs in advance and eat them in advance.
The gal who taught the nutrition class where I learned some of this information, ate about one hour before her work-outs. She combined some type of whole foods protein with a slow acting carbohydrate. If you eat protein before a work-out, you should give yourself about one hour for it to digest. That's why taking in a complex carb and a protein work well about an hour before your work-out.
So...what if you are a morning person? What if, like me, I used to awaken at 5:00 a.m. and be in the gym working out at 5:45 or earlier? What do I do then?
What I had been doing was eating a 1/2 cup of brown rice. What I noticed was that it would take about 15 to 20 minutes into the work-out for me to stop feeling that "weak" feeling. That's because that's when the complex carb finally kicked in.
To solve that problem, she suggested I eat 1/2 of a banana along with the 1/2 cup of brown rice. The banana is a fast acting carb and would give me immediate energy and tide me over until the slow acting carb from the brown rice kicked in.
As I mentioned yesterday, after about 45 minutes of working out, your body has depleted itself of glycogen and needs to re-fuel. The best way to refuel if you work out longer than 45 minutes is to bring some kind of fast acting carb with you.
The gal who taught the nutrition class will always bring fruit along with her in case her work-out takes longer than 45 minutes. She personally likes to eat a banana or some pineapple pieces.
I tried this out on my tonight work-out because I knew I would go over the 45 minute time limit.
I began my work-out doing nine sets of push-ups in sets of 28, 28, 35, 35, 28, 28, 24 24, and 63. That is 293 push-ups. That is the most push-ups I have ever done. I have begun to add more push-ups to my routine since I can already do week six on the 100 push-up challenge.
After that I went on to do a chest and triceps type of work out. I started to feel fatigued about 40 minutes into it, so I pulled out some raisins that I had brought along.
For those who don't recall, I have also begun a pull-up challenge where I am trying to do four sets of six pull-ups unassisted. This is what I was able to do when I was in high school, and it seemed like a good goal to start with. On Monday, I was able to do ten pull-ups in a row.
Well, I will have to set a new goal, because I was able to complete four sets of six pull-ups 65tonight. I really had to push on that last repetition, but I was able to complete it.
*[For those who want to know, because I know some of you will want to know...I pulled a chair near to the bar, and slowly swung into a hanging position with my arms completely straight and with my hands holding the bar in an underhand grip about 15 inches apart. I pulled up to my chin and then extended down until my arms were straight again and repeated the process.]
I really believe that I was able to complete those pull-ups at the end of a tough work-out because I had properly fueled myself.
And quite honestly, I am elated that I was able to do this. Now I have to make a new goal.
But...I digress...
So, now that you know how to fuel yourself before and during a work-out...what about after?
I love this body builder gal because she is as natural as it gets. The only time that she will recommend using a protein powder is directly after a weight lifting work-out. Every other time, she obtains her protein from natural sources such as fish, ground turkey, egg whites....she doesn't eat chicken, but that's another post...
But she looks like a million bucks, and doesn't use a bunch of supplements to get that look. What that means to me, is that I can look like a natural body builder too by just eating the right foods and working hard.
An ideal recovery food would be a protein drink plus a a fast acting carbohydrate like a banana or pineapple. This is because the protein is made in such a way that your body can use it quickly for muscle recovery. And obviously, the simple carbs are received by your body quickly as well.
She recommended three types of protein that she uses. The brand names are: 1.) Optimum Nutrition 100% whey, 2.)Revolutionary Technology Nutrition, and 3.)Human Development Technologies Pro Blend 55 which is sold at GNC but is much cheaper when purchased online.
You will want to consume this protein/simple carb recovery meal within twenty minutes of your work-out. Even if you don't weight lift, but are doing a cardio exercise, you will want to recover with this kind of combination.
Why?
Because your muscles will not be as sore the next time you work-out because you fed them during a time when they needed the recovery fuel.
So...this is a lot of information, and I will quit for now.
But I did want to see if anyone can guess what company this give-a-way is about. Details have been ironed out and I will talk about it tomorrow.
What's in that box?
Have a great Thursday folks!
Sincerely,
Sunshine Mama

8 comments:

  1. Hey Sunshine; It sounds like your getting control of what your putting into your mouth.Here are some suggestions for you and your baby. This from Mom and her friend Darlene. Its a good idea to have at least one tablespoon of a GOOD oil per day. Three suggestions would be , real butter or flax oil.or cold pressed oliveoil. These oils will keep you from getting wrinkles and keep you from being hungry. Its best to take this in the morning. They will definitely curb your appetite. Love, DAD

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  2. Thanks for all the interesting info.

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  3. First off, congrats on the most push ups ever! You are my push up hero!

    And I really liked what you reported today. The nutrition lady didn't use expensive supplements and did it naturally. I am a natural girl myself and love that she carries fruits. Glad to know what to eat before a longer run that takes more than 45 minutes.

    I got to stop by your blog during my lunch time today. Don't worry I brown bagged it! Granny Smith apple (the best ever) hummus with wheat pita and almonds! Yum!

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  4. I might be craving cake though...

    = )

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  5. I came over via Amy at I Choose Freedom! I've so enjoyed reading about your journey, thoughts, and checking out your photos! WOW! I am really encouraged by your loss after pregnancy as I am in that wonderful stage of babies! I LOVE BABIES! :) Congrats on your new little one on the way! :)
    I blog everyday stuff at the link from my name or have a weight loss journal type of thing here http://weight-in-gold.blogspot.com/. Nothing fancy, but helps me ALOT!
    Anyway, just wanted to say "HEY!" :)

    Blessings!
    Amy

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  6. Wow..tons of info...well it is clearly working well for you so clearly something to pay close attention to.

    What brans of pull-up bar do you have? It is one of those door frame hanging things? Permanently affixed?

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  7. Ok, so if I read this right...

    If I don't have an hour before workout, I should eat a banana and some sort of complex carb.

    If my workout lasts longer than 45 minutes, I should eat another banana (or half of one).

    Afterward I should eat some type of protein powder drink and... a banana?

    Or some type of fruit other than banana?

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