Fact or Fiction: A Sugary Post-Workout Snack Can Be Beneficial

You’ve been told for years to stay away from sugar, that it causes energy crashes, stimulates hunger and in the long run can contribute to weight gain. But numerous magazines and websites urge trainees to consume sugary snacks post workout – including sports drinks and Haribo.

First up, here’s what happens when you eat foods high in sugar. Typically you’ll receive a spike in your insulin level, which is a hormone that carries sugar around in your blood stream. Think of insulin as a taxi or transport system. Many times we eat too much sugar and too much insulin gets released, so your body, in an effort to not go into a dangerous hyperglycemic state, clears all sugar from your bloodstream. And guess what happens when the sugar clears – you end up in a low blood sugar state, get tired and hungry and often reach for more sugar in an effort to wake up. And so the sugar yo-yo cycle continues. I’m sure you’ve all been there!

Now keep in mind the above scenario generally fits with people who eat large amounts of sugar and then sit around, either at work, at home or in the car. However the post workout time frame is a very different story.

During exercise there’s two main things that happen. First, we use up a lot of muscle glycogen and blood sugar for fuel during the workout itself. I’m talking about fairly intense sessions here, you know, the kind I promote here at Angry Trainer Fitness – full body circuits of 30–60 minutes a time. Because you’re using up those precious sugar stores, your body becomes extra sensitive to sugar intake following an intense workout – it’s basically ready to start refueling and gas up the tanks. Remember those insulin ‘taxis’ that carry the sugar around your body? Well during the day and under normal conditions they’re driving around and abiding by the speed limit. But after a workout, they’re ready to go full throttle and race the sugar to the parts of your body that need replenishing. This phase is called ‘heightened insulin sensitivity’ and lasts for about 30–45 minutes max after you workout before returning back to normal levels.

What this essentially means is that you can indeed take in more than normal levels of sugar post workout AND benefit from them, without fear of gaining excess weight. In fact I tell people that if they want a chocolate chip cookie as a treat the best time to eat it is right after a workout! It’ll most likely be used to refuel muscle tissue and it’ll satisfy your cheat.

In fact the more simple the sugar the better! Typically you’ll hear experts urging you to only eat foods that elicit a slow rise in your blood sugar levels. However post workout, we want the exact opposite effect – simple sugars that digest ultra fast and fill the muscle stores up.

Now let me clarify. I’m not suggesting that all of you eat ice cream or cookies after a workout. And depending on your goals, whether they be fat loss or muscle gain, you may want to stay in a low blood sugar state and not consume a sugary post workout meal or drink. It’s all dependent upon your aims. I personally use the post workout shake as the only ‘meal’ in which I get simple sugars. The rest of your day should be made up of fibrous veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats.

Of course if you suffer from any form of diabetes or sugar related issues, you must consult your doctor before you make any changes to your diet. But for those of you that are healthy and looking to get a jump start on the recovery process, some simple sugars right after a workout combined with a scoop of quality whey protein can be just what the doctor ordered!

Fitness Fact Or Fiction… this one’s FACT! 

9 Ways To Improve Your Diet

Despite what you tell yourself making small tweaks to your diet over the course of a few weeks or months can have a profound effect on how you look and feel.  It isn’t about making one huge change right away.  Although it might help with faster results it is also highly likely you will set yourself up to fail by changing too much at once.  Here are 9 easy tips you can implement to get yourself moving in the right direction and lead a better, healthier lifestyle. #1 Don’t Buy It This is one of the best ways to stay on track and improve your health and overall body. When you do your weekly or bi-weekly grocery shop do not go when you are hungry. Your grocery store is loaded with almost every piece of junk food you can think of and at insanely low prices too; if you’re hungry you are going to find it really difficult not to pick up a shopping cart of chocolate. #2 Don’t Have It In Your House This is similar to the first point.  No matter who you are, if you have bad food in your house you will eat it.  Don’t test your willpower, you will lose.  More often than not you will be perfectly satisfied not eating any of these foods but if they are in the cupboard you will feel them calling.  Give it a try, dump the junk and see if you really want it. #3 Eat More Wholesome Foods I tell my clients to eat more wholesome foods only to be told a few days later they have more energy, feel better and don’t crave sugary foods.  Strange, isn’t it?  Well not really. You have all heard about low blood sugar.  Don’t eat for an extended period of time, you feel light-headed and you say to yourself you must have low blood sugar.  However, if you eat more wholesome foods you provide your body with a sustained release of blood sugar meaning you are getting a steady supply of nutrients throughout the day.  As an example, anybody that needs a mid-morning snack at work isn’t eating wholesome foods.  In essence what has happened is you likely ate a poor breakfast that caused a quick spike and consequently a quick drop in your blood sugars leaving you hungry and fat.  Wholesome foods include; lots of vegetables, beans, lentils, quinoa, nuts, seeds, eggs, meat and fish. #4 Eat More Fats Fats are not your enemy.  People think wrongly about fats.  They are actually an excellent source of nutrients and are essential for a number of functions in your body. Eating more fat will help you to feel fuller for longer, will not spike your blood sugars as much as any of the other rubbish your think is healthy and above all will improve your health and stimulate fat loss. Watch this video for a little on how important fats are. #5 Cut Sugary Carbs This refers back to the previous two points.  Every food you eat is broken down to sugar within your body.  However not all foods are broken down as fast, nor do they cause the same response from insulin within your body .  Carbohydrates cause the biggest spike in blood sugar and poorer sources of carbohydrates cause massive spikes.  When I refer to sugary sources of carbohydrates I refer specifically to chocolate, sweets, ice cream, pasta, white rice, breakfast cereals, milk and energy drinks. #6 Surround Yourself With Others Who Want The Same Thing I was discussing diet with a client of mine this morning.  Firstly, I will say the improvements he has made have been second to none.  It’s incredible what can happen when you are given a better understanding of food.  Anyway, he told me a family member said this weekend he should have a some chocolate, after all it’s only one piece.  Let’s be clear, most of us don’t stop at one piece, it’s all or nothing.  Some of us really do have no ‘off switch’.  The point here is that he was encouraged to make a bad choice because he wasn’t surrounding himself with people with similar interests (he resisted by the way).  Get your family or house mates on board, they will thank you for it and you will thank yourself for it. #7 Let Everyone Know This is important for creating accountability.  If everybody is aware of what your goals are they are likely to call you out if you are eating chocolate.  This may seem contradictory to the previous point but it does help.  My own friends call me out if I try to eat rubbish food because they know of my profession, goals and where I want to be. #8 Use Herbs, Spices and Other Natural Sources of Deliciousness Do you really need ketchup or mayonnaise with your dinner?  All these do are spike your blood sugar and make you sick.  If your taste buds weren’t so blunted by the onslaught of sugar you might actually enjoy the taste of real food.  To spice things up a little add herbs & spices to your meals.  My personal favourites are cumin, turmeric, basil and cinnamon.  For sauces use salsa. guacamole or pesto. #9 Practice Cooking Some people, including myself enjoy eating the same foods over and over again. Simplicity in my opinion is key.  However, not everyone enjoys being mundane especially when it comes to food.  I suggest learning how to cook and trying out lots of different recipes.  Most recipes appear daunting at first but when you try them out once or twice you will see that they are actually really simple. Visit Protein Cookbook for some healthy, protein fuelled desserts!