It is imperative to the overall success of your personal fitness goals that the timing of obtaining certain nutrients be understood and adhered to – timing is everything.

Before you exercise

Your largest meal of the day should be eaten at least two to three hours prior to your workout so that sufficient quantities of glycogen can be stored prior to exercise. Your body burns glycogen much more efficiently than carbohydrates that were just consumed, whether liquid or solid. Remember, you need enough glycogen (stored blood sugar) in your muscle tissue to sustain an intense workout. Since the human body can only store up to 2,000 calories, enough for a 60-90 minute workout, this meal is critical. Try to eat a meal that has about 55-65% complex carbohydrates, about 25-30% protein, and no more than 15% fat. These rations can vary slightly depending on your personal goals and metabolic profile.

During

If you’ve followed all of the steps we’ve just outlined, then ideally, you should be sipping on water during your workout. However, because of lifestyle dynamics, too often we fail to do the proper thing for our diets all of the time. In this case it is acceptable to sip on up to 9-12 ounces of a high glycemic glucose/fructose sports drink, or shake during your workout. It is important that we never over work our digestive system while we are trying to expend energy when working out. It is equally as important that we exercise at peak efficiency all of the time.

After

This is the most important meal of the day. The body only has a 30-minute window to optimize its workout. If you miss this opportunity to give it what it needs, the window quickly closes. You will not be able to store as much glycogen as just prior to your workout because the cells that once contained your stored sugars have decreased, slowing down your metabolism. By drinking a high glycemic drink with a 3 to 1 ratio of carbs to proteins respectively, immediately following your workout the sugars race back into your muscles, replenishing the lost glycogen and keep your metabolism humming. This is the key to weight loss or muscle gain; your body will not gain an ounce of fat, and you WILL realize your fitness goals much quicker.

Your body runs primarily on glycogen. The best time to store glycogen is right after exercising – timing is everything! EAT WELL!

Written by: by Dan Young, Founder and President Performance Food Centers