The importance of Eating Complex carbohydrates before and after strenuous workouts
The importance of Eating Complex carbohydrates before and after strenuous workouts
Exercise is an important part of a daily health regimen. It also helps the body to grow stronger in the process. Eating the right foods after a sporting match helps the body bounce back and restore itself.
Have you heard of “carbo loading”? It’s something that bodybuilders and those who lift a lot of weights are prone to do. Before a strenuous workout or activity (like a marathon or swimming competition), eating a lot of complex carbohydrates gives the body unlimited sources of fuel during the activity. Complex carbohydrates are released over time to sustain your energy level for the duration of the sporting activity.
Depending on how long you participate, the body is burning the fuel from the foods you ate. From there, it will burn stored fat. We all like to hear that. As the carbohydrates are burned, the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood lowers. That is why you feel so run down once you stop moving. Kids especially get this way.
When you talk about blood sugar you also have to mention insulin. People think of diabetes when you mention insulin, but that is a malfunction in the insulin process. When insulin is doing what it should, it is secreted in response to blood sugar levels. Eating all those carbs before a sporting event increases your blood sugar.
Insulin is secreted and it binds to body cells. Once bound, the cell can now accept glucose from the blood. Glucose is used for fuel in cellular processes. The glucose is usually sent to the liver, the muscle and fat stores. For a sporting activity you want your glucose to go to your muscles.
In the muscles, glucose is used to fuel the process that creates ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The muscles need it to build stronger fibers which are being torn down and built back up by your activity. As you are getting a workout, you are using up the glucose in your muscles. It is important to put that back at the end.
How do you do that? Eat more carbohydrates afterwards. You might not feel like eating, but it is important to do so within the first two hours. Choose complex carbs that also have a high glycemic index number. The glycemic index number determines how quickly the blood sugar will spike after eating a certain food.
For muscle glycogen (glucose in the muscles) to be replenished, you want to eat a carbohydrate that has a high glycemic number because it will be more readily absorbed into the blood, thus increasing the blood sugar levels. That sugar is then directed by insulin to the muscles where the glycogen stores are replenished to build more muscle. Without it, muscle is torn down because the body begins to use protein to compensate and that’s not what you want.
Eat those carbs after a sporting event to feed your muscles. Without it, your muscles could end up in worse shape instead of getting big and strong.
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