Pre-Post Workout Nutrition Tips - at StewSmith.com - Military or Law Enforcement Fitness - Navy, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, RECON, SEAL, Ranger, Police, FBI

Nutrition - The Fundamentals of Eating Right
for More Energy

On average, when people stop exercising and no longer care about what they eat, they can gain five to ten pounds a year. That is why in five short years, people step on a scale and cannot believe they are nearly FIFTY pounds overweight. Weight has a way of sneaking up on you over time. You do not get overweight overnight and you do not lose the weight overnight either. Both take time, but fortunately losing weight can be faster if you follow a strict nutritional and exercise plan. Both take only minutes a day.

Here are a few eating tips and some ideas on quick exercises routines to try when time is limited:

1) Lay off the fast food – Before you go on a trip or a long day at work, try to eat before you leave and pack a lunch. Foods high in protein mixed with a natural carbohydrate are great energy meals. Try a lean turkey or chicken sandwich with vegetables like lettuce and tomato. Watch out for the mayo – too many calories and fat grams. Try mustard instead. Fruits are great quick snacks too. Try apples, oranges, bananas for natural sources of energy. For more ideas see www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/dietplan.htm

2) Wake up and burn some calories – As busy days pile up with more and more obligations, the scheduled 5:00pm workout can easily get bumped! Make thirty minutes of exercise fit into your mornings and do some type of workout.

- Try biking, walking, or running for 30 minutes

- Go to your gym for a quick circuit routine

- Try calisthenics like jumping jacks / pushups / crunch routine and jumping jacks / squats / lunges / crunches

- Try using dumbbells for arms and shoulders

- Another Tip – if you do not schedule a workout – it does not exist!!

Check out a previous article for great ideas for any workout- Quick Workouts

3) Don’t wait – Start NOW! – Why wait? When you can, you should try to eat at regularly scheduled times during the day. Healthy snacks and meals will carry you through your stressful days much better than skipping meals or binge eating. You will find that if you keep a good schedule, you will lose weight and inches. Add exercise to the plan and you will also get fit and feel better than you have in years. Try an eating schedule of the following recommended times:

i. 0630 – breakfast

ii. 0930 – morning snack

iii. 1230 – lunch

iv. 1530 – afternoon snack

v. 1830 – dinner

If your days are longer than 15-18 hours you should try another light snack at 2100 of foods like yogurt, grapes, milk. Other snacks during the day can be salads, fruits, lean meats, small sandwiches, boiled eggs and others. See chart on next page for better ideas on what to eat during the day and before and after exercise sessions.

4) Walk more – When safety is not an issue, try to walk farther than normal when going about your normal day. Burning a few more calories by walking is one of the easiest ways to walk off that extra weight. Just twenty minutes of brisk walking can burn over 100-150 calories.

5)                 Keep working the abdominal region – Not with food but with exercises like crunches, situps, and lower back stretches. Check out the articles on Washboard Abs and Lose those Love Handles for ideas. When you do these exercises for just 5-10 minutes daily, it is easier to remember to watch your food intake and stop yourself from gorging.                           Washboard Abs link
                         Love-handles link

Overall, it is important to keep up the habit of moving more and eating better foods for you. These tips can help you prevent unneeded weight gain.   See Fundamentals of Nutrition Chart below and on the next page:

The Fundamentals of Nutrition
Morning Meal (Serving = fist size) Eat 2-3 servings of any *minimal fat - 1 qt water	Proteins – boiled egg whites, yogurt, milk, lean meats, protein shake, vege beef stew…		Carb/Protein mix – some fruits like grapes, bananas, blueberries – cereal with milk…
Mid Morning Meal Eat 1 serving	Slimfast meal bar, boiled egg, Go-Gurt, Tuna…		Fruit salad, apple, orange, banana etc…
Lunch 1 qt water	Chicken, tuna, fish, lean meat sandwich on wheat bread, no mayo – mix meat with salad ®		Mixed salads with variety of vegetables – green leafy lettuce, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onion
Mid Afternoon Meal 1 qt water	Optional – peanuts, almonds = high calories		Optional – juice, fruit, vegetable – small salad
Evening Meal 1 qt water	Lean chicken, fish, meat, broiled NOT FRIED		Large Salad – above eggplant
Pre – Post Workout Meals
Before Your Cardio Workout		Before Your Lifting or PT Workout
Carbohydrates – 75 – 100%		Carbohydrates 75% & Protein 25%
Prior to running, swimming, biking etc…at medium to high intensity levels for 30-40 minutes, it is best to eat a small snack to boost sugar levels in your body especially if your workout is before your morning meal. After a night of sleeping and not eating for over 10-12 hours, you need a boost to help you get through the workout. Fruit or fruit juice is fine 20 minutes prior to workout and during is fine. Foods with small amounts of protein can be eaten pre-workout and will help post workout requirements of protein too. Sample Ideas for pre-workout snack are:		1-2 hours prior to lifting eat protein foods and carbohydrates so the protein is there for you after the workout. Lifting weights and doing high repetition calisthenics will break down your muscles and require protein immediately after your workout – within 30 minutes. Foods high in carbohydrates to replace the loss of glycogen stores are needed within this time too. For a great rule of thumb – after you workout eat protein, carbohydrates and minimize fatty foods. Foods that should be considered are:
Bananas, apples, oranges, carrots, juice, Gatorade, (any fruit of choice really). Before workouts longer than 30-40 minute, add some protein to stabilize absorption rates so you can last longer: Eat the following about 1-2 hours prior to exercise: Yogurt, protein drink, milk, boiled egg, slice of meat or cheese, a meal replacement bar as a snack Sip water and carbohydrate drink throughout the workout whey protein powder is highly recommended – I like to take ½ of recommended amount.		Pre-workout ideas for lifters / PTers: Bananas, berries, boiled eggs, tuna fish, Fruit Drink / Protein / Carb bar is an option Protein or carb replacement drinks are great if post workout occurs mid-day or early morning. See above meal options for protein and carbohydrates sources and these below: Tuna, chicken, boiled eggs, and green leafy salads with tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, carrots, onions, and light dressing or oil.
Post Workout Meals
The key is to replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost during the workout – drink Powerade / Gatorade immediately after workout IF you lost several pounds during the workout. Otherwise, a banana,kiwi, potato will replace the electrolytes just as well. I like to eat a can of chicken noodle soup after a tough workout where I lose 5-10 lbs of sweat in humid or arid environments. The soup offers potassium, sodium, calcium, carbs, and protein all rolled into one meal! Another important factor is to add protein to help rebuild muscles – see above meal / snack ideas within 30 minutes of workouts

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Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He specializes in military and law enforcement fitness, particularly Special Operations units. Please feel free to email him at Stew@stewsmith.com with any comments or questions.

New Training Methods and Motivational Website

Stew Smith's published books can be found in major bookstores and online retailers. They include:

The Fundamentals of Nutrition

Pre – Post Workout Meals