Should I eat before training?

In the blogs, "New York Times" is the heading Ask Well, where publication readers can specify different issues related to the improvement of quality of life, a healthy way of life and all sorts associated with it themes. in particular, columnist Gretchen Reynolds, answers readers' questions about whether to eat before a workout and how affects food intake before / after training on whether you are training for a set of muscle mass or to lose excess weight.

20 years ago, when Gretchen preparing for the race for 10 km and the marathon, athletes and staeram strongly recommended to avoid meals an hour before your workout (or even more than 1 hour).

Then the athletes said that the calories consumed before exercise, leading to a surge in blood sugar, resulting in hypoglycemic syndrome to the middle of a workout or race. It hurts performance and reduces the body's ability to carry the load (you get tired faster). This statement was based on The study, which has a couple of decadesSaying that the blood sugar level and the ability to withstand the loads tend to decrease if the athletes drinking or eating foods high in sugar before training.

However, further experiments have found that this reverse hypoglycemia does not occur very often, and usually does not have a critical impact on the ability to carry the load. For instance, a group of British cyclists I drank the drink high in sugar before training, and only a few of them decreased blood sugar in the first few minutes in the 20-minute sprint to wear; and then blood sugar levels stabilized, returning to the average normal value to the end of the race, and they run to the finish line without any problems. Carbohydrates that are easily digested, too, an hour before the workout as a whole allows athletes to train longer.

As for the meal after training, that is standing in the case, if you trained at least 45 minutes or longer (otherwise there is a risk that you will eat and digest more calories than burned during physical loads).

And the runners, and those who He raises the bar and is engaged in weightlifting should eat foods rich in carbohydrates and drink the same drinks for an hour after exercise, says University of Texas professor John L. Ivy. In the span of an hour after exercise muscles consume more nutrients and sugars. If the drinks and food include proteins, you can save more energy for the muscles to prepare for the new next workout. Protein also helps to repair muscle fibers that are damaged during training.

There is a nuance: weightlifters need more protein after workouts than marathon runners and athletes in general. Protein supplements are often used lifters after each training session, according to a study of Sport Nutrition, however, their application in such amounts and at such a frequency is not mandatory.

At least make mandatory even chocolate milk. according to a number of recent studies, Volunteers who drank chocolate milk within an hour after exercise, get more reserves of energy for the muscles, reduces fat levels in the body and called the best level of general physical shape than those who drank regular sports drinks or clean water.