Over time, the “secondary” aspects also improve: sleep, stress, digestion, reaction to fatigue. The optimal required times are: 20/30 min of daily exercise or 50 min about two to three times a week. Keep in mind that as your training progresses, the ease of execution increases.
For the elderly, at least daily walking should be an exercise, as balance and muscle strength need to be maintained and monitored as much as possible, also to prevent falls.
What to eat before and after the gym? All tips
For those who do sports, nutrition plays a particularly important role, especially for those who are primarily looking for aesthetic results. In this case, it is good to know the food on a nutritional level, to make full use of its properties and to avoid mistakes that could jeopardize the effectiveness of the training. We already covered sports during the lunch break, this time we will look at what to eat before and after the gym to get the most out of the exercises.
Correct nutrition for every sport
Before we get into the specifics of what’s good to eat before and after the gym, it’s important to clarify some aspects. First of all, every sport requires proper nutrition that is proportional to the type and intensity of the effort.
- Nutrition must be differentiated according to whether aerobic activity – such as running and endurance sports in general – or anaerobic activity – such as weight training and strength sports in general.
- It is clear that the intensity of the sustained effort also determines the diet, which increases with increasing load. We also clarify that there is no good diet for everyone.
With the advice of a doctor and with experience, the athlete will be able to put together a diet that is suitable for his needs. Below, as an example, we suggest advice for a moderate-intensity fitness activity that includes aerobic and anaerobic portions with light use of equipment and weights.
What to eat before training
A pre-exercise diet essentially prepares the body for the exertion it is about to face. Specifically, food before the gym aims to support performance during exertion, avoid nutritional deficiencies and hydro-salt solution deficiencies, and already support regeneration after training.
What you eat greatly affects the performance and brilliance of an athlete who, in addition to the nutritional characteristics of food, must also take into account digestion time and training hours.
A light and energetic snack
It’s a good idea to have a light but nutrient-dense meal before going to the gym. In order not to strain digestion, digestible foods should be preferred. Nutrients to pay particular attention to will be carbohydrates with a medium-low glycemic index.
To support performance with regard to metabolic time, a pre-exercise snack should contain about 300-400 calories and should be consumed at least two hours before training. However, this aspect of timing varies greatly from individual to individual.