Easy Pre- and Post-Workout Snacks
To get the most out of your workout — before and after — holistic nutritionist Peggy Kotsopoulos shares her quick, easy, and high-impact pre- and post-exercise snacks.
Health
Try these tasty and low-maintenance snacks to get a good energy boost before you get your sweat on!
This drink has ALL the energy you need to fuel your workouts! If you're feeling sluggish, or just really need a boost to help you push through to get the best workout possible, drink this immediately before you start. Just mix all the ingredients with water and you're ready to go!
1 cup Coconut Water
1 cup Green Tea
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Coconut Sugar
2 drops of Ginseng
Shake ingredients in a shaker cup and drink before workout.
:::Pre-Workout Energizer Drink | Steven & Chris::: /stevenandchris/content/images/__common/_slideshow/_fullslide/post-workout-snacks.jpg:::After a tough workout, you've depleted your muscle glycogen stores. So what you eat right after your workout determines your progress and efforts for your next workout. There's a window of opportunity to properly replenish your glycogen stores and fuel muscle growth immediately following your workout. Therefore it's best to have a simple (high GI) carb + protein immediately following your workout.
Think of your muscles as a balloon that has just had all the air release from it, which is the same effect after glycogen stores have been depleted. In order to refuel as quickly as possible to prevent catabolism, we need to refuel as quickly as possible. The quickest way is high GI, or simply, carbs.
Not only do these replenish muscle and liver glycogen stores, but they also cause an insulin release which helps push large chain amino acids straight to muscle cells, helping to build and repair exactly where and when we need it!
It's best to have a higher-carbohydrate snack right after your workout to fuel muscle glycogen. These fruits are a great option:
Working out causes tearing and breaking down of muscle fibers (which is a good thing!) so long as you meet your protein requirements.
Protein is the ONLY way muscle cells can build and repair themselves. So if you want to see results and start re-building as soon as they tear, it's best to get amino acids straight to muscle cells immediately following a workout. Look for a plant-based protein that is stacked with BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids).
BCAAs are made up of three amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) which make up 1/3 of the body's lean muscle and are required for protein synthesis. Because BCAAs are not metabolized in the liver (like other amino acids), they are sent directly to the muscle for building and repair, or be immediately used as fuel — significantly increasing muscle energy and endurance during your workout.
1 scoop Vega Sports Protein (vanilla)
2 cups almond milk
1 frozen banana
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