Carbohydrates - Workout - Carbohydrates
Hayley Irvin provides three reasons to eat carbohydrates before and after a workout.
Carbohydrates are a lightning rod in the diet industry. According to the original food pyramid, nearly half of your daily caloric intake should be carbohydrates. However, several popular diets suggest limiting your carbohydrate consumption or cutting it out entirely. With so many conflicting ideas, figuring out the number of carbohydrates you should eat daily and the optimal time to eat them can be challenging.
Fortunately, there is a time and a place for everything—including carbohydrates. For many, the best time to eat carbohydrates is before and after exercising. Here are three reasons to incorporate carbohydrates into your pre-and post-workout routine.
Carbohydrates are an excellent sources of energy
Carbohydrates are a great option if you need energy before, during, or after a workout. Because they are relatively simple molecules made up of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen, carbohydrates are some of the most accessible foods for our stomachs to digest, providing a quick boost of energy for our minds and bodies.
The most straightforward sugar, glucose, is absorbed into the body almost immediately when eaten, but sugar molecules in more complex carbohydrates take longer to break down and digest. Simple carbohydrates like fruit, honey, and dairy products are best eaten 1-1.5 hours before you hit the gym, whereas starchy carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, oats, and whole grains should be consumed 2-4 hours before a workout. Always opt for unrefined whole grains and avoid refined white bread and pasta.
Extra glucose that is stored in the liver is referred to as glycogen. When the body is not receiving healthy sugars from food, the liver taps into its glycogen reserves to provide glucose to the muscles and central nervous system. Because muscles require blood sugar to stretch and contract, it is vital to have a healthy blood sugar level before exercising.
IIf your blood sugar is low when you start a workout, your body will use the glycogen stored in your liver to provide your muscles with the energy they need to perform. This is especially true for longer or more intense workouts that use more of the body's resources. Your muscles will get tired sooner, cutting your workout short. To avoid this, try eating carbohydrates before your next workout—be sure you eat the right carbohydrates at the right time.
Carbohydrates are easier to digest than fats and proteins
Protein and fat molecules are longer and more complex than the simple sugars found in carbohydrates. Because it takes longer for our bodies to break down these complex molecular structures, protein and fat are often thought to be longer-lasting energy sources than carbohydrates. However, this may not be what your body needs right before a workout.
To help digest the complex molecules in protein and fat, our bodies pull oxygen away from other areas of the body, like our bloodstream and muscles. When working out, less oxygen in your muscles can contribute to muscle fatigue, weakness, lightheadedness, and a lack of motivation.
Additionally, because it takes more time to digest protein and fat, their nutrients take longer to absorb into our bodies. If you drink a protein shake half an hour before going to the gym and only work out for 1-2 hours, your body will not absorb most of the protein until the end of your workout. And if you have not eaten any carbohydrates that day, you will run on empty the entire time. Being properly fuelled during an exercise will help your muscles perform at their peak capacity, allowing you to maximise your time.
This is not to say that protein is not important after a workout. Protein gets broken down into amino acids necessary for muscle growth and cellular repair, and the long-lasting energy they can provide helps keep you fuller and more aware for longer periods.
It can be beneficial to eat both protein and carbohydrates before and after a workout, but adjust your ratio accordingly. For example, try eating more carbohydrates than protein before your workout to give yourself the energy to push through it. Eat more protein than carbohydrates afterwards to encourage muscle growth and cellular repair.
Before and after a workout are the best times to eat carbohydrates
We know that extra glucose is stored in the liver, but what happens once the reserve tank is full? Unfortunately, it gets stored, too – as fat. This is an undesirable outcome for people trying to lose weight, explaining the preponderance of low-carbohydrate and no-carbohydrate diets.
Eating carbohydrates can be a bit of a Cornelian dilemma. We need carbohydrates, but if we overeat, the extra gets stored in the most unflattering places. Many people who cut out carbohydrates entirely experience weakness and fatigue, especially while exercising, so no-carbohydrate diets may not be the best choice.
The best way to burn carbohydrates is to work out—the earlier, the better. The trick is to utilize every gram of carbohydrates you consume during the day so there is no extra for your body to store. This way, you can have your carbohydrates and eat them, too.
To help make the most of your workout and daily carbohydrate intake, eat some simple carbohydrates like fruit, yoghurt or chocolate milk before hitting the gym. Even during your workout if you need the energy. After exercising, use some starchy complex carbohydrates to top your energy and glucose levels. Combine with lean protein to give your muscles that extra boost. If you want something easier to transport back and forth from the gym, protein bars are low-calorie options loaded with all the protein and carbohydrates your body needs before and after a workout.
Losing weight and getting in shape is a complex process requiring much time, energy, and motivation. However, with enough research and dedication, it can be done. More than anything, be aware of what you are eating and always strive to eat a balanced diet with protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. Start incorporating healthy choices at every meal; these healthy changes will soon become healthy habits. There is no better time than the present to start living a healthier life, so start today!
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- HAYLEY, I. (2015) Carbohydrates - Workout - Carbohydrates [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article183.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Hayley Irvin is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. When she's not creating excellent content for Marketing Zen Group & Promax, she's writing about basketball, learning about space, and thwarting her cats' attempts to take over the world. Catch up with her on Twitter @HayleyNIrvin.