Nutrient Timing
Many people who exercise regularly seek to improve or enhance their strength, stamina, muscle mass and/or body composition through consistent exercise and proper nutrition. Many studies have proven by that having a proper nutrition and a regular exercise program will reinforce the body in achieving optimal function. The science behind nutrient timing of knowing what to eat and when to eat is a critical key to successfully achieving these health and fitness goals.
Nutrient timing is the diligence of knowing when to eat and what to eat before, during and after exercise. It’s basically designed to help athletes or any exercise enthusiast to achieve their best or achieve optimal performance and recovery. There are three phases in the nutrient timing system. These are based on the muscle, nutritional requirements of the person or muscles being used, and the recovery times. The first phase is the energy phase and this happens just before an exercise or during an exercise. The next phase is the anabolic phase and this phase lasts about 45 minutes after the workout or exercise program, and the third phase is the growth phase and this lasts pretty much the rest of the day.
The Energy Phase
This beginning phase uses muscle glycogen as the primary fuel source. Low muscle glycogen stores could result in muscle fatigue and the body’s inability to perform at high levels such as high intensity training workouts. A decrease in muscle glycogen is the result of muscle weakness. So what do we do? How do we fix it? Good question! So we take in carbs prior to strength training or high intensity training. This will help the body restore its glycogen levels, maintain a regular blood glucose level, and it also helps to support your immune system.
My recommendation is to have foods such as oatmeal, fruit smoothies, bananas, or apples with peanut butter, just to name a few.
Anabolic Phase
The next phase is the anabolic phase. This is a very crucial time of the nutrient system. This is the phase where the muscle cells are very sensitive to insulin. This phase is critical for digesting the proper nutrients in order to make those gains with endurance and strength. In this phase the anabolic hormones start repairing the muscle and decreasing the inflammation. You have about a 45 minute to an hour window in digesting the proper nutrients in making this happen. Consuming carbs right after you exercise or within that hour window will help your body maintain that glycogen level, start the repairing process and help with your cells making protein which is the building blocks of muscle, cell structure, and function. This is why I am not a big fan of the Keto Diet. More on that later.
The Growth Phase
This phase basically has two parts. One part being the rapid part which lasts up to 4 hours after exercising and the second part is the rest of the day part. This part is critical with getting the proper nutrients throughout the day, so don’t skip meals! This phase you want to make sure you drink or consume a 1:5 ratio of carbs and proteins. That is about 4 grams of carbs to 20 grams of protein. My recommendations for this would be something like energy bars and sports drinks
2 slices whole-grain toast with peanut butter, cooked oatmeal with raisins, sunflower seeds and a glass orange juice, or maybe some nuts and some fruit.
The nutrient timing system is all about giving your body what it needs at the proper times of the day. Your cells and muscles depend on protein, your immune system and brain, organs, and hormones depend on carbs. This explanation of the different phases is the basic, down and dirty, quick version. I didn’t want to go into the scientific break down of what your body is doing and what hormone is doing what. I just wanted to introduce you to it and see if you wanted to tweak your food intake around your workouts.
As always I hope this helps people with a little more knowledge to reach your goals.
Thanks for reading!
Darren
Harmony Shift 