Before and after

Fueling activity is really important for good performance and to push yourself further, because the more you can do in training the better you will become. It’s a balance of having some fuel readily available in the system to get the body working, but without being overloaded and too full. Here are the basic rules to follow.

Before Training 
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for the body and the brain. A light meal mostly high in carbohydrates and low in fat prior to training will make the right fuel available for the muscles to use. Have this between 2 hours to 30 min before activity.

After training
The body needs carbohydrates again to replace what has just been used and to assist with muscle repair and recovery. After heavy or long training sessions, the body also needs protein for muscle growth and repair damaged muscle so you aren’t as sore the next day. Have a protein and carbohydrate at the meal or snack following within 30 minutes. Some examples include:

Before 
Piece of fruit – banana or diced fruit tub
Toast with jam or honey
125ml fruit juice
200ml low fat milk 
Box of sultanas
Muesli/cereal bar

After 
Sustagen popper
Up and Go popper
200g low fat yoghurt
Le Rice
1 slice whole meal/grain toast with 140g tin baked beans 
1 slices whole meal/grain toast with 1 egg – boiled / scrambled /poached
Toasted sandwich with ham/low fat cheese/tomato
1 cup wholegrain cereal and light milk 
Fruit smoothie made with 1 cup skim milk, 1 piece fruit, ice, 100g low fat yoghurt 
1 cup cooked pasta with a tomato pasta sauce and 1tb low fat cheese 
1 slice toast with 2Tb low fat cottage cheese & tomato 
2 slices regular raisin toast with low fat ricotta