| Rachel Faul Fitness

Pre-Workout & Post-Workout Snack Ideas!

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Pre-Workout & Post-Workout Snack Ideas!

Let's Talk Snacks!

Just to throw this out there since I get asked all the time, this is what I do.
A) I wake up, eat breakfast then wait an hour, eat half a banana, drink my pre-workout Energize, workout, then grab a handful of almonds.
OR if I am short on time...
B) I wake up, eat a banana, drink my pre-workout Energize, workout, then eat breakfast.

My breakfast is almost always my Shakeology. My favorite recipe for it is Greenberry Shakeology with half a banana, 1 cup of frozen raspberries, and 12 oz. of water blended well! YUM!

Pre-Workout Snack Ideas:

dried/fresh fruit
oatmeal
granola
quinoa
rice cakes
whole grain cereal
banana with almond butter
hummus toast
trail mix

Post-Workout Snack Ideas:

boiled eggs
protein bar
cottage cheese with berries
hummus with carrots
nuts
whole grain crackers with cheese
greek yogurt with berries

Quick Rule of Thumb:

Pre-workout = carbs
Post-workout = protein

Ingesting carbs before a workout and protein afterward provides the basic materials that your body needs for adapting to the demands of your chosen activity.

Pre-workout carbohydrates help ensure that your body has what it needs for rising to the challenge, and making the most of your workout.

Post-workout protein provides raw materials that drive recovery processes in between each workout session, and helps you realize the fruits of your labor.

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Tips To Prevent Muscle Soreness!

Tips To Prevent Muscle Soreness!

Aching after a brutal workout?

Delayed-onset muscle soreness aka DOMS can make you feel the burn while your muscles recover and rebuild. However, if you take the right steps after your workout, you can go hard without having to pay the price.

Try these tips:

1. Stretch.

Stretching is your first line of defense after a good workout. When you train, you contract the muscles, and the muscle fibers get shorter, so lengthening them after a workout promotes mobility, and can lead to a more thorough recovery.

2. Eat for rapid recovery.

Even if you’re eating at a calorie deficit, you want to make sure to get enough healthy proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, all which play important roles in repairing and maintaining muscles. A couple hours after working out and when you sleep are two times when protein synthesis (muscle repair) increases, so a post-exercise scoop of Beachbody Performance Recover and a pre-bedtime scoop of Beachbody Performance Recharge assure your body access to amino acids.

3. Ice it.

Immediately after a tough workout, icing your muscles can starve off inflammation. Inflammation is one of nature’s defense mechanisms, but it works like a cast; it immobilizes you. When you keep inflammation down, that area is free to keep moving, and movement promotes healing.

4. Change your diet.

When your muscles are sore, inflammation is a huge part of the problem so to help reduce this inflammation, add foods that are rich in omega-3s such as salmon, free-range meat, flax, avocado, and walnuts to your diet.

5. Massage your sore spots.

You can hit these areas yourself using a foam roller. Put the roller on the floor, use your body weight to apply pressure, and roll back and forth over the sore areas for about 60 seconds. Wait! Before you do it, make sure you’re rehydrated and your heart rate is back to normal because when your muscles are hot and loaded with lactic acid, you might make it worse.

6. Get heated.

While ice can work wonders immediately after a workout, heat can help once your muscles have returned to their resting temperature. Heat increases circulation, especially focused heat in a jacuzzi, where you can hit areas like joints that don’t normally get a lot of circulation. Just wait a bit after your workout to jump in, don't do it right away.

7. Move it.

You may be tempted to plant yourself on the couch until the pain subsides, but don’t skip your next workout. Circulation promotes healing, so it helps to get your heart pumping, just don’t overdo it. Active recovery is low-intensity exercise that gets your blood flowing without taxing your muscles. Most Beachbody workout programs include a recovery workout, such as yoga.