| How many times has this happened to you?
>> You psych yourself up mentally
(you are GOING to do it!) >> You
don the outfit (you can practically
feel the energy flowing through
your veins!) >> You lace up the
running shoes (Nike: Just Do It
- that’s you.) >> You grab your
towel (because ANYONE SERIOUS
needs a towel). Then it’s time.
It’s time to sweat. It’s time
to burn the evil fat from your
body. You face the treadmill (or
stair climber, or rowing machine,
or exercise video with the perky
aerobics instructor on it). And
you start. You warm up, and start
moving faster and faster. The
sweat starts to pour. The blood
is pumping. Man, you are burning!
That size 2 exercise instructor
is going to look like a whale
compared to you when you get through!
The adrenaline hits your blood
and you feel GREAT! You could
exercise forever! In fact maybe
you will exercise forever! Your
time winds down. Ok, maybe you’d
better slow down, no sense in
going TOO crazy here. The cool
down sure feels good. You turn
off the treadmill, or the exercise
video and head to the shower.
Then it hits you. EXERCISE REPERCUSSION.
You feel like you want to die,
or at least sleep for about 12
hours. You go through the day
craving anything you can easily
grab: anything edible or, depending
on how good it looks, anything
at all. Nutritional value? Who
cares! But nothing seems to satisfy
you and you could swear that you’ve
just eaten all the calories you
burned during exercise PLUS more!
What was the point in exercising
at all if you go through your
day tired and eating everything
in sight? It was just a waste
of your time and a stress on your
body for nothing right? Well,
not necessarily, not if you can
learn from it. Here's how to avoid
the above experience when exercising:
1) Check Your Hydration Levels
(I know not really exciting—but
it will do wonders!!) The average
adult loses 10-12 cups of water
a day (that’s not including water
we lose from exercise, caffeine,
etc). It’s estimated that approx
75% of North Americans are chronically
dehydrated. And even MILD dehydration
will slow down one’s metabolism
as much as 3%. And here’s the
key, all you exercisers: Lack
of water is the #1 trigger of
daytime fatigue!!!! Unfortunately
this fatigue often gets mistaken
for hunger and we eat more than
we need in a desperate effort
to get that water back into our
bodies. What can you do? Before
your workout: drink 1-2 glasses
of water During your workout:
Have about ½-1 cup of water for
every 20 minutes of exercise After
your workout: Have at least 3
cups of water in the hour after
you exercise. 2) Check Your Pre-workout
Nutrition Since you want energy
over the long haul, your best
bet is to try having some complex
carbs before you exercise (like
oatmeal, whole wheat toast, or
whole wheat crackers). Some people
prefer to get their carbohydrate
from fruit also, it depends on
what works for you. Try to combine
this with a little bit of protein
(like peanut butter on your whole
wheat toast, or a couple slices
of cheese with your apple). Try
different combos and see what
gives you the most energy. 3)
During your workout: If your workout
is under an hour: Make sure you
keep drinking that water and continue
to listen to your body. If you
want to go more than an hour you
should try eating 25 to 30 grams
of carbohydrate every half hour
(i.e. From sports bars, fruits
or whole grains). If you are exercising
for more than 3 hours you should
consider sipping a sports drink
to replace lost electrolytes.
Both sports drinks and energy
bars help to maintain your blood
sugar levels and prevent muscle
glycogen (energy) depletion 4)
After exercise: Keep drinking
that water! (See above) You also
want to refuel with carbohydrates
as soon as you can after exercise
(toast, bagel, fruits, oatmeal,
etc.) Your body not only needs
to refuel but it also needs to
rebuild with some protein since
intense exercise involves the
breakdown of muscle tissue. Some
possible snacks are: Peanut butter
and banana sandwich on whole wheat
toast, cottage cheese mixed with
fruit, scrambled eggs with whole
wheat toast. The most important
thing is to pay attention to your
body and feel what works for you
as you exercise. If you feel light-headed
or dizzy or in pain at any time
during exercise stop! Respect
your body and what it tells you.
Hopefully the next time you decide
to face the treadmill (or the
exercise video) you’ll be able
to feel great both during AND
after you exercise. You’ll be
able to feel as if you’ve made
your body better and stronger,
by feeding it and exercising it
and keeping that energy up! Kathryn
O'Neill is a contributing writer
for Diet and Weight Loss Reviews
. For more weight loss tips and
free diet reviews, visit http://www.freetobethin.com.
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