Eating for exercise

Summer’s here and you’ve finally dug out the trainers, hoping to tone, tighten and feel beach ready… well good on you! We all know exercise is good for us, but do you really know what you should be eating and doing to optimise all that effort? Well, we’re here to give you a helping hand when it comes to eating for exercise.

True or false?
Let’s start by busting a common myth – we need to eat to have the energy to train.  Actually the opposite is true – we should be exercising in a fasted state, so that means no food first! Why is this? Well firstly in order to digest the food we’ve just eaten, we need our digestive system. When we exercise adrenaline increases and our body diverts energy to the areas that need it; the key ones being the muscles and the heart. One area it doesn’t go? To the digestive system. So that banana you’ve stocked up on pre-training will stay sitting in your stomach! Long term this can lead to gut issues when you’re training a lot.

Feel the burn
Secondly we are designed to burn fat only when we’re in a fasted state. Why? Well let’s think about our early ancestors. They didn’t have fridges or places to store food, so upon waking in the morning, they would have had to find food. Finding food meant using up energy and that energy would have come from fat stores.

Fat is much slower-burning than carbohydrates, so ideally when doing intensive or endurance exercise we should be able to switch to fat-burning mode. If you only use carbohydrate then you’ll ‘hit the wall’ while you’re training: the carbohydrate (glucose) runs out, your legs slow down and feel heavy, you feel exhausted and ultimately, you have to stop.

In modern day environments where we can eat all the time, carb loading is the norm, and unfortunately we sit on our bottoms a lot of the day, means the body becomes inflexible and we only get used to using carbohydrates. Think about what happens sometimes when you’ve not eaten – Dizziness?  Moodiness?  Tired?  I’m sure we’ve all got a spare bit of fat somewhere, but the body can’t use it, because it’s not been practising. Fasted exercise is one of the best ways to get the body flexible again, which means it is using different stores of energy.

Thirdly studies show that every time we eat, we get a small inflammatory response in the body. This is normal, but it can be damaging if it lasts too long. Exercise is anti-inflammatory, so moving before we eat can be very beneficial to the body.

Fast is best
Fasted exercise is much easier to do when you train first thing in the morning. You can then eat after you’ve exercised. If you can only train in the evening, then have a healthy breakfast and don’t eat again until after you’ve been to the gym or done your workout (at least 4-5 hours between food and the exercise). The enzymes we need to burn fat are really only active when there is no other alternative (glucose from carbs) in the body.

Be careful if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or really sensitive to blood sugar changes. Consider working with a qualified nutritionist or trainer.

Post-workout munchies
Good-quality proteins are essential. Every time we exercise we have a little muscle damage (which is completely normal) and the body has to work to repair itself.  Proteins are the building blocks of growth in the body. Good quality protein includes: grass-fed organic lean meats, eggs, fish, some nuts (no more than a handful a day). If you’re not that great when it comes to eating proteins, you’re vegetarian or vegan, or you have poor digestion, also consider supplementing a good quality protein shake (Nuzest Protein Powder is excellent and you can get it from bitethesun.com).

Fat is the next most important thing. I would get good quality fats from olive oil, avocado and coconut oil. Interestingly coconut oil is well absorbed and goes directly to the liver to be made into energy. If you are struggling with fasted exercise due to feeling dizzy or nauseous, having a teaspoon of coconut oil with green tea or matcha before exercise would be my recommendation.

Finally carbohydrates are also an important food group to get in. Focus on vegetable and fruit carbohydrates though. Root vegetables and fruits are high in carbs. Think about blending them into a smoothie.

When you’re hungry after a workout try to have something on hand that you know is good for you. Otherwise you may be tempted to reach for a sugary processed snack, bread or other processed grains, or sugary cereal. All are a no-no!

The DNA dilemma
While we all have the same genes, there are certain genetic mutations or changes in some people’s genes that predispose them to being stronger or weaker in certain areas. For instance changes in the genes that control detoxification mean some people need more antioxidants and B vitamins than others.

Changes in how people handle fat and carbohydrates mean some people are more inclined to hold on to fat, or need to be careful with sugar intake. Equally markers of inflammation (how the body heals itself) are also altered. When exercising, inflammation is a natural process that occurs, but we need it to switch off when we stop exercising. If a person’s genetic makeup means this process doesn’t happen efficiently, they need to increase their antioxidant intake after exercise, particularly if they are exercising at a high level. These people need anti-inflammatory substances post-workout (green juices, smoothies, turmeric capsules, vitamin C, green tea, among others).

Equally the type of exercise that a person chooses to do can be optimised by knowing what genetic changes they are working with and in particular whether they have more endurance capacity or more strength ability, whether they are more predisposed to hold fat, and what particular dietary recommendations are most suited to their body.

For more information contact Lucy Stephens at lucy@revaclinic.com