We are women ... And we are all so different: someone is going crazy at the sight of meat in French, and someone's knees are trembling from the smell of fresh pastries. Sometimes we indulge in plentiful meals, which ultimately leads us not only to subsequent mental anguish, but also to bulging sides or a rounded belly. Having carefully scanned our appearance in the mirror, we firmly decide to change our life from Monday: we go on a tough diet, run in the park in the mornings and evenings, and after finding a dusty subscription to the fitness club, we rush there after work. After a couple of weeks, having carefully exhausted our body, we begin to realize that we are doing something wrong. Frequent dizziness does not allow you to surrender to work at 100%, and an increased feeling of hunger only adds fuel to the fire. And for training, in fact, there is already not enough strength (both physical and moral).
Delusions - the result of ignorance?
Many women, starting to play sports, believe that eating after six in the evening is absolutely unacceptable. Then they begin to study information about what they eat after exercise, about a balanced diet, and about the diet as a whole during exercise. Awareness of the harm that they did to their body comes instantly, since it is very harmful to constantly feel hunger or to engage (in the evenings, for example) on an empty stomach. All that is necessary to achieve success in terms of nutrition is to adhere to a balanced diet, taking into account how a protein-carbohydrate window is formed after training.
Recovery period
Scientists have long found out that any physical activity forces the body to connect its internal resources, thereby returning all vital parameters to normal. It doesn’t matter what type of training you prefer, whether it be jogging or Nordic walking. If this kind of activity is not familiar to your body, after a lesson a recovery period will begin, during which a protein-carbohydrate window will open.
Modern medicine divides this period into four stages:
1. Fast recovery.
2. Slow recovery.
3. Supercompensation.
4. Deferred recovery.
To prevent fatigue and start the process of fat burning, it is necessary to achieve tissue regeneration as quickly as possible. Such a result can be achieved by directly affecting the above phases of recovery through a change in diet. This will not only help prevent fatigue and contribute to the burning of more calories, but also restore peace of mind that can inspire new exploits.
Open horizons
The peak of active processes in the body occurs in the first two stages of recovery, when the body, “armed” with amino acids, is trying hard to “repair” the muscles. Replenishment of energy resources is due to the breakdown of carbohydrates, both new arrivals and those that have long been put on their sides. Accordingly, during this period, when the protein-carbohydrate window is open, it is advisable to take food in the form of proteins and carbohydrates, which will not have an undesirable effect on the process of losing weight. This is due to the fact that after exercise, the absorption of carbohydrates occurs 4 times faster than in the usual state.
How long does a protein-carbohydrate window remain open?
Everyone who at least once in his life tried to lose weight with the help of physical activity knows that in order to lose weight, he is not supposed to take food for two hours after class. But it’s best to still trust the studies of scientists who have found that due to physical activity, the protein-carbohydrate window after training can remain open for 40 to 120 minutes. Therefore, in order to “close” the window, there is no need to refuse the body food during this period of time.
What do you eat after training?
Many personal trainers and nutritionists advise giving preference to protein products, as, first of all, during the recovery period, the body needs amino acids that can bring normal muscle mass damaged during training. This recommendation applies equally to nutrition after strength training, as well as nutrition after cardio, since the heart is the same muscle as biceps or triceps, which needs protein supplementation no less than the others. As for the closure of the carbohydrate window, here many experts disagree. Some are sure that it is impossible to satisfy carbohydrate hunger under any circumstances in order to burn already accumulated reserves. Someone, on the contrary, advises to use the moment to enjoy your favorite sweets, explaining this by the fact that in the specified period all the calories arrived will be spent on restoring the energy supply of glycogen, and, accordingly, will not affect the body proportions.
About the protein side of the coin
Proteins are the most important part of the diet, without which the body's tissues cannot be updated. After training, you should not eat meat fibers (chicken, for example), since meat products are processed for a rather long time, and the body will not be able to immediately replenish the amino acid reserve it needs. The best way to provide yourself with nutrients is to drink a protein shake or eat some sour-milk product (for example, 200 g of cottage cheese).
About the carbohydrate side of the coin
No matter how tempting the idea of the possibility of burning more carbohydrates by the body in a shorter time, may you not forget that everything has its pros and cons. An open carbohydrate window during weight loss can provoke the opposite effect, creating excellent conditions for the body to slow down metabolism, and, accordingly, to accumulate a new portion of subcutaneous fat. Especially if the periods of fasting after a workout will be repeated several times, the body will begin to actively prepare itself for such pauses, saving carbohydrates and increasing reserves. It does not matter what the purpose of your classes is (you want to lose weight or gain muscle mass), all you need to do is close the carbohydrate window after training. Allowing ourselves to take a small amount of carbohydrates, we do not allow the body to starve, slow down the metabolism and save fat reserves for the next time.
Close the window
When closing a protein-carbohydrate window after a workout, it is worth considering the energy value of the meal taken, which should not exceed 50% of the calories spent during physical activity. Thus, if during a workout you burned 500 kcal, then 250 calla is the same figure that reflects the calorie content of your food intake after active sports.
An approximate menu of what to drink after a workout:
1. Mix 200 ml of milk, banana and 2 protein.
2. Beat 200 g of drinking yogurt with 1 tsp. honey or any fruit.
3. Connect in a blender 3 tbsp. l boiled buckwheat with a glass of milk.
4. Mix 200 ml of freshly squeezed carrot juice and 100 ml of milk.
Do not overeat and maintain a balanced diet, given the protein-carbohydrate window after training, are the main rules for maintaining attractive forms. When playing sports, you need to forget once and for all about various hypocaloric diets that cause the body one harm. Remember: since you started to exercise, a strict calorie restriction is no longer for you.