Nutrient Timing: How and when you fuel matters

Let's just take a moment of appreciation for the beauty in this photo. The figs are screaming to me and reminding me of how much I currently miss them.

If you want to perform your best, you need to be paying attention to how you fuel your body. Two areas to focus on are before and after a workout.

Before a workout, we ideally want some carbohydrates and a bit of protein. Think more carbs than protein. Ingesting these 1-4 hours prior to a training session can allow time for digestion and nutrient distribution. What if you're like me and you don't feel hungry first thing in the morning prior to a workout? Simply listen to your body and perhaps hold off. Now if you are someone who experiences light headedness and what not I would recommend not skipping this preworkout fuel and getting something into your system, helping to balance your blood sugar and hopefully avoid any dizzy spells.

After a workout we want to ingest carbs and protein, but this time focus on getting in more protein than carbohydrates. Hitting somewhere around 20-25g of protein after a workout can significantly help with muscle repair and rebuilding. The carbs here act as nice little carriers, helping to get the protein into the places it needs to be a bit quicker.

As I spoke about last week, try to take a look and see if in general you are eating enough. If you're seeking fat loss, you will need to be in a calorie deficit, but not to the point of which it's affecting your performance. Stop and examine how you're performing and make adjustments accordingly.