What to Eat Before You Exercise/My Daily Exercise Log: Week 8

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Does eating a snack help or harm you when it comes time to exercise? Popular science says it helps.  There is no automatic equation that guarantees that eating a snack before a workout will burn more calories than not eating a snack beforehand. The same amount of work will result in the the same amount of calories being expended. But eating does help one's endurance, stamina, and energy levels during exercise. So eating should provide the body with the energy to work harder than it otherwise would, and in turn, burn more calories. In fact, having a strenuous workout on an empty stomach causes the body to produce more cortisol (the "stress" hormone related to muscle breakdown) which can lead to muscle depletion instead of muscle building - and who wants that? 

The best pre-exercise snacks are between 100-200 calories and are a combination of carbs and protein. Some great snack ideas include:

-1 slice of whole wheat bread and a nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew)
-1 apple and a serving of low fat string cheese
-1/4 - 1/2 c. hummus and 5-10 baby carrots 

I generally don't eat before I exercise in the morning because I tend to wake up with a lot of energy, however, when I work out in the evenings I KNOW that I have a much better time if I've stayed hydrated during the day and I've eaten 30-45 minutes beforehand.

Source
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Monday

Goal: Boxing

Outcome: I went, and I had another excellent workout! My arms were on fire, my abs quit on me, but I felt like I WORKED for the whole class.

Post-boxing

Hair: My hair has been loose for a couple of days - and I did a flat-twist, two-strand twist combo. You can see a video on Keek. www.keek.com/naturallytwisted ! I don't know how it will hold up. But I'll let you know.

OK - I wore my twist-out mostly loose, and there was some shrinkage, but nothing drastic. So this was my hair after class:

Tuesday

Goal: Yoga

Outcome: Weighted squats - I did 100 squats with a medicine ball. I didn't make it out of the house, but I did do some work.

Hair: this exercise routine didn't affect my hair - at all.


Wednesday

Goal: Zumba

Outcome: I went to my boxing class - and had an intense workout. Again.

Hair: My hair was in a small bun, and although I sweat, it didn't change my hairstyle.


Thursday

Goal: Run (I'm going out of town, so I hope to run every morning before I start my daily activities)

Outcome: NOTHING - just getting through the day was a feat in and of itself.

Hair: Still in the bun.


Friday

Goal: Run

Outcome: I hiked up a volcano! (or at least as far up as they would allow us to go). It was a hot, muggy hike, but I made it up and back.

Hair: Flat twists! I did my hair in nine flat twists, and wore it like that for the rest of my trip.

Saturday

Goal: Run

Outcome: Nothing - there was too much going on.

Hair: Flat twists.


Sunday

Goal: Run

Outcome: Nope - didn't do it. I took a walk along the beach, but I wouldn't count it as my exercise for the day.

Hair: Flat twists.
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For the previous weeks, click here: Week 1,  Week 2,  Week 3, Week 4, Week 5 and Week 6.

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Write by: Unknown - Monday, May 13, 2013