<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are some questions that keep coming back; How can I lose fat and weight? How can I tone my body? How can I have more energy throughout the day? What should I eat before and after a workout?</span></span></span>

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<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The topic of this post will be about eating the right food at the right time. Feeding your body properly before and after a workout is essential for burning calories from fat, keeping your energy up, building lean muscle and speeding recovery so you can train again. </span></span></span><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">There are many opinions as to what you can eat before, during and after your workouts. It’s important to realize that these are general guidelines. We have different digestive systems and it also depends on what kind of workout you’re doing and how long is our workout. Know that what you put in your body (nutrition) is as important as you what you do with your body (exercise). This post is about food, but let’s not forgot the important of staying hydrate properly during the day. Make sure you keep your body hydrated with water.</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Importance of Eating Before Your Workout</b></span></span></span>

<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some people believe that working out on an empty stomach can burn more fat; research shows the body burns the same amount of fat whether you eat before or not. However, you can actually cause </span></span></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>muscle loss </i></span></span></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">if you regularly work out on an empty stomach. Here's why: When you're hungry, your body goes into survival mode and draws protein from muscle instead of from your kidneys and liver, where the body normally looks for protein. When this happens, you lose muscle mass, which can ultimately slow your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose weight. Plus, if you exercise on an empty stomach, you're not giving yourself the fuel you need to power through an intense training session. </span></span></span><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not giving proper fuel to your body before a workout is like “driving a car on empty,” You also might not have enough energy to maximize your workout and you limit your ability to burn calories.”</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What to Eat Before Your Workout</b></span></span></span>

<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best pre-workout food contains some form of complex carbohydrate and a protein. </span></span></span><span style="color: #3b3e3f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Carbohydrates are digested faster than fat or protein, this is important, as eating too much fat or protein or even a large-carb meal within two hours before a workout will drive blood flow to the stomach, not the muscles. Carbohydrates are rapidly used up during a workout, leaving fat as the fuel the body will burn once the workout gets started. </span></span></span><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Avoid  </span></span></span><a href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/PreventionTreatmentofHighCholesterol/Know-Your-Fats_UCM_305628_Article.jsp"><span style="color: #d52b1e;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><u>saturated fats</u></span></span></span></a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> and even a lot of healthy protein — because these types of fuels digest slower in your stomach and take away oxygen and energy-delivering blood from your muscles “The key is to consume easily digested carbohydrates, so you don’t feel sluggish,” Platt says.”  </span></span></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here are some of my favorite snacks to keep me energized during my workout without weighing me down. </span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Banana with almond butter (2 tablespoons)</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Multi-grain crackers (10) with hummus (3 tablespoons)</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Apple and walnuts (1/4 cup)</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>The Importance of Eating After Your Workout</b></span></span></span>

<a name="_GoBack"></a> <span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">During exercise, your body use</span></span></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-CA">s</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> the fuel stored in your muscles known as glycogen for energy. After workout, your muscles are depleted of their glycogen stores and broken down. Eating (or drinking) something that combines protein and carbohydrates 30 minutes to an hour after your workout refills energy stores, builds and repairs your muscles that were broken down, and helps keep your metabolism burning strong. Research shows that your body's ability to refill muscle stores decreases by 50 percent if you wait to eat just two hours after your workout compared to eating right away after your workout. </span></span></span>

<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>What to Eat After Your Workout</b></span></span></span>

<span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to the </span></span></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Journal of the International Society of Sports Medicine</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">, consuming protein and a little carbohydrate is best immediately after exercise. Here are the foods I eat after my training sessions to help speed up recovery, maximize exercise benefits, and help maintain lean muscle to aid in weight loss.</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Protein shake made with half of a banana, one scoop of protein powder, almond milk, and hemp seeds (excellent protein source)</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salad with roasted chickpeas (1/2 cup), light olive oil and vinegar</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sautéed or steamed vegetables (1 cup) with non-GMO tofu (1/2 cup)</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Quinoa bowl (1 cup) with black berries (1 cup) and pecans (1/4 cup)</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sprouted multi-grain bread (2 slices) with raw peanut butter (2 tablespoons) and honey</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #313131;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Burrito with beans (1/2 cup), brown rice (1/2 cup), guacamole (2 tablespoons), and salsa</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Quarter cup of sliced grapes mixed into half a cup of cottage cheese</span></span></span>

<span style="color: #00000a;"></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Quarter cup of blueberries mixed with half a cup of yogurt</span></span></span>

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