The Importance of PWO

Watch on your mobile device >>

People often ask me what the most important meal of the day is.  Without hesitation, I answer with breakfast.  This is a no brainer here.  We must jump start our metabolism from a long night of sleep, and what better way to do that than with a nice healthy breakfast.

But I'm not here to talk about the importance of breakfast, rather, I am here to discuss the 2nd most important meal of the day, the post workout meal.

Why is the post workout meal so important you ask?  After a workout, your body needs to repair your muscles from the stress you just put upon them.  Following intense exercise, the body is in a catabolic state, meaning it’s breaking down muscle to fuel itself, trying to preserve its pre-workout state. It’s during this window of opportunity, which is only open for 30-60 minutes, that the body optimizes its ability to replenish lost energy stores, namely muscle and liver glycogen. During this “open window” of 30-60 minutes the body begins muscle protein synthesis for muscle tissue recovery and repair, replaces fluids lost through sweat, and adapts to the stress of the workout.

The amount and quality of the post-workout meal will play a direct role in the how well your recovery takes place. The harder and longer you’re active, the more important it is to refuel the body for the next workout. In order to get the most out of your post-activity meal, it should be made up of carbohydrates and proteins.

Getting enough carbs post-workout is crucial to restoring the glycogen levels within the muscles. Glycogen within the muscle and liver is one of the fuel sources used during exercise.

The best option for a quick absorbing carbohydrate would be dextrose.  Simply add dextrose to your post-workout protein shake and there you have it.  If dextrose is not an option, ingesting good quality carbohydrates such as bread, fresh fruit, cereal, and chocolate milk provide enough quality carbohydrates to begin refueling the muscles with lost glycogen.

The next macro-nutrient, protein, is an important part of the post-activity meal. Protein consumed within the “open window” of recovery should be about 20-30 grams. Protein is important because it provides amino acids, which are the building block for muscle, and ensures a positive protein balance, which means the protein synthesis exceeds protein breakdown. Because protein is broken down during activity, failure to consume protein can lead to muscle loss.

The best option for PWO protein would be whey protein.  You can buy this in powder form and like mentioned above, mix with your dextrose to complete your shake.  Liquid is absorbed much faster than whole food, which is why it is highly recommended for PWO.  If protein powder isn't an option, opt for eggs, meat, chicken, or fish mixed with a carbohydrate source mentioned above.

There you have it.  Protein shake mixture is option #1, and if not available, go with the whole food option.  If both are options, opt for the shake, then eat the whole food combo an hour later.  Your body is now set to replenish and rebuild from the workout!

www.livestrong.com
www.t-nation.com

Seven Myths about Weight Loss

Watch on your mobile device >>

There are many things that you will hear people say when it comes to weight loss.  Some are going to be true, but also you will hear many that will be myths as well.  Now how do you know whether they are true or not?  Some people learn from experience, but also many people know through knowledge.  Below are seven ideas that people believe to be true when it comes to weight loss, but unfortunately they are myths:

1. “Eating late night will cause you to gain weight.”

It really does not matter when you eat, just as long as you keep within your calorie limit.  Any extra calories that you intake your body will store as fat, so if you are within your calorie limit, go ahead and enjoy a healthy midnight snack.

2. “If you cut down your calories drastically, you will lose weight faster.”

When you cut down your calories drastically all at once, you will make your body turn into “starvation mode.”  So the calories that you do consume, your body will be forced to hold onto in order to maintain your weight.

3. “If you skip meals, you will lose weight.”

Much like the statement above, if you skip meals your metabolism will actually slow down, which in turn will prevent you from burning the calories throughout the day.  That is why breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it helps kick start your metabolism.

4. “You should eat healthy 100% of the time.”

First and foremost, it is very difficult to eat healthy all the time.  Even the most fit and athletic people like to indulge in their favorite non-healthy foods from time to time.  As long as you keep it to an 80%/20% ratio in healthy foods to non-healthy foods, you will be fine.  Having the OCCASSIONAL cheat meal will help you keep your sanity and help you keep yourself motivated towards your fitness goals.

5. "Spot reduction is possible.”

Whenever you turn on the TV, you hear commercials preaching that if you take this magic pill, you will lose five pounds of belly fat, or use this ab machine only, you will get rock hard abs in a short amount of time.  When you lose weight, you lose it evenly over the body, not just in one spot.

6. “Since you workout, you can eat whatever you want to.”

Just because you go to the gym and burn 500 calories, does not mean you can go to McDonald’s afterwards and eat three chicken sandwiches and think you are going to lose weight.  Those three sandwiches will account for roughly 1000 calories.  So that workout you just had did you no good. You will need to stick to an evenly healthy diet.

7. “All carbohydrates are bad.”

First off, carbs are your fuel source when you exercise.  So completely cutting them out of your diet, you will just feel exhausted and not be as motivated.  That being said, there are also good carbs and bad carbs.  Good carbs you get naturally, like from brown rice, whole grain foods, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.  Bad carbs come from refined and processed foods that are usually high in sugar and white flour (candy, baked goods, white pastas and sodas, just to name a few.)

So make sure you do not always believe in what you hear other people say when it comes to weight loss.  There will always be facts and myths when it comes to this, just make sure you know the difference between the two.