This is from today's Duke Diet Newsletter. In addition to building in time to exercise, you're also supposed to figure out a snack and time it to eat 30 minutes before your workout. As if fitting in exercise isn't hard enough...this gives you more incentive not to exercise!
Healthy Preworkout Snacks
Do you often have a snack before your workouts? While eating before you exercise may seem a little counterintuitive — after all, isn't one of the aims of exercise to burn calories? — it can actually be a good move. If it's time for your workout but you haven't eaten anything for a few hours or more, a snack can give you the energy you need to get going. And it can prevent you from being so hungry when you're done exercising that you make poor food choices.
The best preworkout snack is one that includes carbohydrates, which provide an energy boost, and protein, which sustains the energy boost and helps you feel satisfied longer. Here are some ideas:
Half a bagel with low-fat cream cheese
An apple with reduced-fat cheddar cheese
A banana with peanut butter
Yogurt with berries
A few crackers with tuna
One slice of bread with turkey
The key is to keep your portion small — around 50 to 100 calories. Eat your snack 30 minutes to an hour before you work out, keeping in mind that the body takes a little longer to absorb the energy from foods containing fat.
And before you stock up on energy bars or other products that promise to give you a boost during your workout, take note: While these products can be a convenient option, they can also be high in calories. If you do choose a sports bar, look for small ones that contain 100 calories or less.
Snacking
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
Of course, if you *don't* need a snack to give you the energy to exercise, or to avoid snacking after you exercise, then all you've done is add a snack to your day.
Maybe if you just got into the habit of not snacking at all, you wouldn't need to worry about pre-exercise or post-exercise snacking.
More seriously, this is part of the ongoing pattern of discussing eating as if the body were constantly on the verge of energetic collapse -- "the energy it needs" to exercise, that sort of thing. We in the West are generally running a surplus of energy (getting that under control is why we're all here, after all), and we swim in a sea of easy calories at all times -- so why do we act like we're going to shrivel up if we don't "boost" ourselves before doing something drastic like exercising? It's a bit silly. If it *really* makes the difference between being able to exercise and not being able to, I can see why they'd advocate this, but I doubt that's the case except for those with specific medical conditions.
Maybe if you just got into the habit of not snacking at all, you wouldn't need to worry about pre-exercise or post-exercise snacking.
More seriously, this is part of the ongoing pattern of discussing eating as if the body were constantly on the verge of energetic collapse -- "the energy it needs" to exercise, that sort of thing. We in the West are generally running a surplus of energy (getting that under control is why we're all here, after all), and we swim in a sea of easy calories at all times -- so why do we act like we're going to shrivel up if we don't "boost" ourselves before doing something drastic like exercising? It's a bit silly. If it *really* makes the difference between being able to exercise and not being able to, I can see why they'd advocate this, but I doubt that's the case except for those with specific medical conditions.
My exercise level is never going to get to the point where I need a snack. What I detest about all this focus on snacking is that it starts in the schools -- my kids are being indoctrinated about the dangers of going more than two or three hours without food.
It does seem silly -- in the midst of an obesity epidemic, the concern is that we go too long without any sort of food.
Of course, if we buy into the idea of the necessity of snacking, then we also need to consider "portion control." 50 to 100 calories max. That's something that whets your appetite!
Kathleen
It does seem silly -- in the midst of an obesity epidemic, the concern is that we go too long without any sort of food.
Of course, if we buy into the idea of the necessity of snacking, then we also need to consider "portion control." 50 to 100 calories max. That's something that whets your appetite!
Kathleen
I think it's silly to automatically push for pre- and post-workout snacks, especially when a lot of people's idea of a workout is going for a 30 minute walk (which is a totally great way to get exercise, but it's certainly not vigorous enough to warrant a snack). That said, if you'll be participating in vigorous exercise and it's been 6 or 7 hours since your last meal, a small snack probably isn't a bad idea. I attend a power yoga (which is basically like an hour of strength-training and cardio and stretching all at once!) class in the evening right before dinner and have experimented with allowing myself a small handful of almonds or cashews. When I didn't eat, I'd feel extremely weak throughout the class. When I snacked on the nuts, I had a lot more energy and performed better overall. Depending on the type of exercise and amount of time that's passed since your past meal, sometimes a pre-workout snack isn't a bad idea.
I guess I can agree that it is silly to encourage snacking to someone who is obese or to an obese culture- however - on a person-to-person basis, it's not ridiculous. If it works for someone, then great. It works for me and I'm sure many other people to have something small before a workout - even one that's not very intense.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille
I have a 13 year old son who swims for 1 1/2 hours/day during swim team season. He's also grown about 4 inches in the last 6 months. Needless to say, he eats more than three times per day. On the other hand, my exercise today consists of washing floors and taking our 8 pound dog for a walk. I do not need a 50 to 100 calorie combination of carbohydrate and protein 1/2 hour before taking the dog for a mile long walk!
Kathleen
Kathleen
Okay, I just see we definte light exercise differently. I do a half hour-40 minutes on my exercise bike, usually between 6 and 9 miles. I consider that low impact/not intense, compared to other things I could be doing, such as running 5 miles. Some days I can do it without a snack, and some days I just know I need some fuel before doing it.
"Anyone can cook." ~ Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille
Here's a link of a report about working out after a 20-hour (no eating from dinner to dinner)fast
http://www.ttfatloss.com/fat-loss/fasting-for-fat-loss/
and from Brad Pilon who literally wrote the book on short-term fasting
BradPilon.com Nov. 6, 2008
"Did you know that it takes 30 to 60 minutes of running at 75% of your V02 max (for conditioned runners) to get your blood insulin levels down to the same level found in people who have been fasting for 23 hours? (Dohm LG 1986)
Did you know that when scientists studied people who exercised after fasting for 23 hours, their blood sugar levels were actually found to be slightly higher then when the same people exercised after a small meal? (Coyle EF 1985; Dohm LG 1986)
What this means to you- running at 75% of your VO2 max for as long as 70 minutes in well trained runners who had been fasting for 23 hours did not cause hypolgycemia (low blood sugar) So if you like exercising while you are fasted, this research suggests you don’t have to worry about hypoglycemia (as long as your exercise intensity isn’t way above these levels).
And it takes between 30 and 60 minutes of running at a VO2 of 75% to get the same insulin lowering effect as simply sitting around the house after fasting for 18-24 hours."
http://www.ttfatloss.com/fat-loss/fasting-for-fat-loss/
and from Brad Pilon who literally wrote the book on short-term fasting
BradPilon.com Nov. 6, 2008
"Did you know that it takes 30 to 60 minutes of running at 75% of your V02 max (for conditioned runners) to get your blood insulin levels down to the same level found in people who have been fasting for 23 hours? (Dohm LG 1986)
Did you know that when scientists studied people who exercised after fasting for 23 hours, their blood sugar levels were actually found to be slightly higher then when the same people exercised after a small meal? (Coyle EF 1985; Dohm LG 1986)
What this means to you- running at 75% of your VO2 max for as long as 70 minutes in well trained runners who had been fasting for 23 hours did not cause hypolgycemia (low blood sugar) So if you like exercising while you are fasted, this research suggests you don’t have to worry about hypoglycemia (as long as your exercise intensity isn’t way above these levels).
And it takes between 30 and 60 minutes of running at a VO2 of 75% to get the same insulin lowering effect as simply sitting around the house after fasting for 18-24 hours."
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)
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clarinetgal
- Posts: 1709
- Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:16 am
- Location: Western Washington State
I do moderate exercise (low impact aerobics several times a week, along with weight training, abs, and stretching), and I've found that I perform better if I eat not too long before my workout. The way I get around the snacking issue is I work out during my son's nap, which is about 1.5 hours after lunch.