As already stated, proteins are an important building material relevant to the building of muscles. Carbohydrates fill the glycogen stores in our muscle fibers, which provide us with sufficient energy during exercise. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates, you will notice this after a short time during training. You will noticeably lack strength. Glycogen is also stored in the liver to keep blood sugar levels constant. So you can see that a low carb diet is not a good idea if you want to do sports and build muscle. The issue of fats is not so simple.
Normally it is important to avoid fat, because the average diet is too rich in fat anyway. So rather reach for lower-fat food variants. Nevertheless, fats should not be completely omitted, because they are among the important energy suppliers. When it comes to fatty acids, make sure you don’t eat more than 10% saturated fatty acids (butter, lard, sausages) and no more than 20% unsaturated fatty acids (vegetable oils, nuts, olives, avocados, fish, eggs). Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have a particularly good effect on recovery following a workout.
You should not eat too large meals before your workout, but rather a small snack. If your training takes place in the morning, your energy stores are empty. Here, for example, a banana or muesli is recommended. To lose weight well, training on an empty stomach is often recommended.
However, this does not refer to strength training, but rather to endurance sports. However, exercising on an empty stomach can be stressful for the circulatory system. Only perform such training if you have been exercising regularly for a long time and can assess your body. In this case, the training session should not be longer than 30 minutes. To be on the safe side, take a granola bar with you and drink enough beforehand. By the way, it is not recommended to train when you are hungry. After training, it is important to eat carbohydrates and protein.
Potatoes with cottage cheese are often recommended. However, do not eat immediately after the workout, but finish your training session with cool down exercises and take a shower first. It is recommended to wait about 45 minutes until the next meal. Your heart rate is still elevated and your body is still burning. Isotonic drinks will make sure you replenish electrolytes. However, make sure they don’t contain too much sugar. No matter how you eat.
You should always provide your body with enough water. You should drink at least half a liter of water 2 to 3 hours before your training session. Also take something to drink with you, so that you can always take a break to drink in between.
