We want the best results from our workout. Still, we invest time and money. But we may miss some essential aspects like how we eat after exercise. Many things can hurt our results, and it is good to be aware of them.
Here are five everyday things that may interfere with your results.
Excess protein
Everyone knows that protein intake is essential for the body. Especially when it comes to weight gain.
One of the common mistakes is to get a protein-packed immediately after a workout, be it from protein-rich foods or several doses of protein shake (and in some cases both).
More importantly, the overall protein intake of the day is tailored to you and your needs. According to a study in the field, we do not need to take more than 20 to 40 grams of protein from food at any given meal. This range provides the best anabolic effect. Taking more will not hurt, but earning less than this amount will not produce optimal results.
Eating too little food
This is one of the biggest problems for most people. If you want to gain muscle, lose weight or improve your tone, you need to focus on food.
Physical training creates micro-injuries in the muscles. For them to recover, your body needs protein to stimulate protein synthesis. Protein synthesis depends on how well your muscles will recover and grow.
Lack of adequate protein intake can also cause slower recovery from muscle fever.
Avoid carbohydrates after exercise
After heavy training, muscle glycogen stores drop significantly. For your muscles to recover, they need to get it back.
- One of the best ways is through good sources of carbohydrates. These may be:
- Legumes – beans, lentils
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Whole grain products
Although the effect of carbohydrates is not so much directed at muscle gain itself, it is essential to pay attention to the total intake of carbohydrate days.
You do not drink enough water. Especially if you do cardio or like to run, it’s good to drink enough water to keep you well hydrated. According to a fascinating study in the area, after an hour of running early in the morning, runners underestimate how much water they lost by sweating by nearly 50%.
Even mild exercise can cause fluid loss and mild levels of dehydration. An excellent way to keep track of this is to weigh yourself before and after your workout so you can better understand how much fluid you have lost.
Don’t plan ahead
After a hard workout, you will feel much hungrier than usual. If you have to decide what to eat, it’s a big mistake, because it’s much easier to turn to something sweet and unhealthy.
When we are in this mode, hunger prevails. Studies have shown that when we are fasting, we are much more likely to buy something unhealthy.
Eating after a workout with foods that are high in sugar will not help. It will neither promote functional recovery and build muscle nor have a lasting effect.
Even worse. After the initial burst of energy, then the likelihood is that you will feel even more tired because of the drop in your blood sugar.
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