Protein Power: Advice on What to Eat Before and After a Workout

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Mar 30, 2017 11:30 am | Add a comment | 2041 reads | Sponsored by Tribe Nutrition

It may come as a surprise to hear that what you eat before and after a workout is almost as important as the workout itself. Fueling your body with the right food groups will help you get the most out of your workout and make sure all your hard work doesn’t go to waste. Doing an intense daily workout, such as the hour-long sessions with trainer Patrick Agboton during the Tribe Fit Life x Patrick present "Live & Lean" camp, can leave you tempted to overcompensate and eat or drink more calories than you’ve actually burned. To save you from this temptation, we consulted Tribe Nutrition’s nutrition experts to find out exactly when and what you should be eating before and after your workout.

Fuel up: pre-workout

Before your workout, it's best to focus on getting enough protein and complex carbohydrates, as elevated levels of protein and carbohydrates in your system allow for greater delivery of amino acids to your muscles while you work out. Eating carbohydrates two hours before a workout ensures you have energy (especially if it's lifting weights) and helps avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and the resulting feeling of discomfort.This can lead to more muscle growth than if you were to only eat post-workout. Ideally, you should eat a small meal of about 300-400 calories around two to three hours before a workout. If that’s not possible, eating a small snack about 30 minutes to one hour before a workout should work well too. The snack should be a natural source of simple carbohydrates like a banana that will cause your blood sugar levels to go up quickly.

Beneficial foods include bananas, which are a natural source of carbohydrates and are full of potassium which helps with maintaining nerve and muscle function. Meat, eggs, and Greek yogurt have a good amount of protein which may help prevent muscle loss during the workout. For example, the Tribe Nutrition meal plan includes protein-rich dishes such as egg frittata with grilled zucchini and chicken or grilled beef with roasted vegetables and sweet potato.

Repair and restore: post-workout

Similar to the pre-workout period, protein and simple carbohydrates are the best things to eat once you’ve finished exercising, as your body is especially good at absorbing carbs and protein within 30-90 minutes after your workout a.k.a. the “post-workout window of opportunity” to raise blood sugar levels and insulin to help hasten muscle recovery. Fruits like bananas and pineapples are loaded with healthy, easily digestible carbohydrates, as well as enzymes to help your body break down nutrients so they can be delivered to your tired muscles. Pineapple, in particular, is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties to help your muscles recover after a tough workout. On the other hand, protein is necessary to help rebuild the structural aspects of the muscles that have been degraded during exercise. Tribe Nutrition meal plans include a wide variety of dishes that prominently feature the aforementioned components, such as grilled chicken wings and lettuce with strawberries and grilled beef with scrambled eggs.

Of course, it is also important to thoroughly rehydrate during and after a workout. Although how much to drink depends on your age, gender, height, weight, and the intensity and length of your workout, as a general guideline, it is advisable to drink about 250ml of water within 30 minutes after exercising.

New mom Amanda Wang, who completed the latest round of the Tribe Fit Life x Patrick present "Live & Lean" camp, knows full well the importance of good nutrition when working out. “The first few days of the program were really hard for me. My muscles were so sore after each day of exercising that I didn’t want to turn up the next day,” Amanda says. “However, I found that eating the daily lunch provided by Tribe Nutrition really helped to get my energy levels back up and keep me going. Sometimes I would get together with the other Live & Lean participants and get a healthy snack at Tribe Nutrition’s Protein Bar (the Protein Bar is next door to B Active Fitness in Sanlitun Soho, where the Live & Lean classes take place).”

After just four weeks of the camp (five one-hour training sessions per week), Amanda lost 2kg and an incredible 7cm around her waist. “I’m 2kg off my pre-pregnancy weight but I’m already back in my old office wear!”

The next edition of Tribe Fit Life x Patrick present "Live & Lean" fitness camp launches on April 24. The camp is priced at RMB 5,888 for 20 classes plus a 20-day meal plan from Tribe Nutrition (lunch and dinner) or RMB 3,888 for 12 sessions (3 classes a week for 4 weeks) plus a 12-day meal plan (provided on the same days as classes).Tribe Nutrition is offering a 5 percent discount on meal plans (consists of three meals and three snacks for an entire day) of two weeks or longer. Simply enter promo code TNBEIJINGER5 when checking out using the Tribe Nutrition website. To register for the next "Live & Lean" camp, more details can be found here.