Stephenson - Pocket Paleo: Before and After Workout Recipes

Eat before a workout. Dont eat before a workout. Eat after aworkout. Dont eat after a workout. Eat during a workout?

A recent article in a running magazine suggested a nice hearty bowlof oatmeal with banana, raisins and skim milk before going for a run. Anothermagazine featured a piece about how, when you head to the gym for an hour on theelliptical, keeping your heart rate low will get and keep you in the fat burningzone.

A third article, found in a bodybuilding periodical, stated thatone must eat every two hours, including waking during the night to continue thefeeding, and eat only protein, in order to avoid becoming catabolic.

With all the conflicting advice out there in terms of if, when andwhat to eat around a workout, its no wonder everyone is confused!

For the athletes I work with, from the Olympics-bound elite tothose who hit the gym three times a week to keep their cardiovascular system fit,the one thing nearly all have in common is not feeling as though they properlyunderstand what, when and how much to eat around their workouts.

In addition, theres a broad misconception that the workout you dois the major factor in your appearance, not to mention overall health when inactuality, the food you eat has a far greater impact.

I was an endurance athlete for a good five years before I learnedabout the Paleo Diet, and despite a training volume upward of 25 hours per week, Iwas never as lean as I wanted to be; and I was eating a healthier, more food thansports-nutrition product diet than what many running experts or triathlon coacheswere in magazines suggesting. (Were going back to the late 90s herebefore blogs!)Piling on the calories from sports bars, powders, drinks and chews is simply not theanswer.

When creating a nutritional fueling protocol, the type, durationand intensity of the exercise are major factors to consider, as is the timing offoodwhen its eaten with regard to when training sessions occur. You must alsoconsider your individual goals as they pertain to body weightlose fat, maintain orgain muscle massin order to figure out how to properly prepare for and recoverafter exercise.

What someone who is training for a triathlon eats before afive-hour bike ride is far different from what someone who is about to do a CrossFitworkout will eat. Both vary still from what someone might choose before, or after,an early morning hour-long spin class.

I highly recommend referring to ThePaleo Diet for Athletes (Rodale) by Dr. Loren Cordain and Joe Friel, MS,in order to review the different stages of fueling for athletic endeavors, from theperiod before through the recovery phase.