Welcome to Workout Wednesday!

Hi everyone! I thought I'd spice things up and initiate our first "Workout Wednesday" post. Every Wednesday (is Wednesday capitalized? Clearly elementary school basics has left my brain, along with most of my other common sense!) I will be coming to you with posts regarding workouts, tips, routines, and advice.
I realize it's Thursday today... I sort of forgot to post this yesterday. Oh well :)

I'm supposed to be doing my AP Economics summer assignment, but I got lazy and decided to write on here instead! I should also probably go for a run today since I ate french fries for lunch with my grandma... Nah I think I'll take a break today. SHHHhh don't tell.

So basically the topic du jour is "Post-Workout Snacks"

First off, I would like to say that I used to be COMPLETELY against post-workout meals. Like seriously, why was I going to eat a bunch of calories that I just burned off, especially when I'm not even hungry! But I kept reading articles about how imperative it is to eat after a workout, so I was like whattheheck, I'll do some research.

So to break it down for you:
When we exercise, whether it's cardio or strength training, exercise breaks down our muscle carbohydrate stores and our muscle protein structures. Then, the immune system comes in to clean up the mess. Essentially, we are ripping apart muscles and using up stored energy during our workouts, in order to eventually build up even stronger muscles later on. Immediately--like I'm talkin' less than 30 min--after a workout, signals are generated to tell the body to rebuild the broken muscle. But without the proper protein and carbohydrate materials, this building can't take place. You'll be left with muscles that never reach their potential.

AKA... you could potentially end up with "skinny fat", my #1 fear.
Skinny Fat: A physique, while not overweight (and possibly underweight), lacks any visible lean, striated tissue. (Thanks UrbanDictionary)

Basically, you can end up skinny, but have no muscle and will still probably have yucky cellulite and a stomach pooch.

By breaking down your muscles and NOT refueling it immediately with protein and carbs, you are just breaking down muscle and then not rebuilding it back up... leavin' yo flabby ol' skin to hang.

"But Emily, what if I didn't work out that hard? Do I deserve a post-workout snack?"
Depends. Usually, any activity where I'm sweating or out of breath, I will give myself a snack straight afterwards. So while a 30 minute walk doesn't necessarily need a post-workout snack, a 10 minute jog can make me out of breath and in need of muscle repair.

"BUT THE CALORIES!?"
Ok yeah, it took me a while to get over the idea that: I just burned a hundred calories, so I don't want to eat them up again.

But listen, the calories that you consume immediately after a workout will NOT be stored as fat. It will go straight to repairing damaged muscle tissue. Those calories will be burned. Not only are they used for muscle repair, but your metabolism gets revved up right after a workout, burning more calories faster! So basically after a workout, you get a guilt free snack that won't go anywhere near your thighs or stomach. SWEET


Now I'm not saying you should run for 20 minutes and then on the way home, pass by Dunkin' Donuts and pick up a Boston Kreme donut. (MAH FAVE). 

No, be mindful about what you eat. It should be something protein and carb rich and should be about the same amount of calories that you burned, or even slightly less. And preferably in a liquid state. This way it will be absorbed faster. If you eat pasta immediately after your workout, you can bet those carbs and protein will be working hard at repairing your muscles. But if you eat it maybe... 2.5 hours after your workout.... you might be eating yourself back to fatness. Too late after a workout and your metabolism will have slowed down again, and your muscle tissues repairment may no longer be working as rapidly. This could possibly make some of your calories to be stored as fat.

My advice: After any sort of physical activity with a long duration (like a 1 hour walk) or high intensity (a 15 minute run) requires you to eat a post-workout snack. I generally take half scoop of my chocolate Whey Protein powder, put it in a water bottle, shake it up, and chug. Not only do I know that all the protein and carbs are helping feed my muscles, but chugging all that water also makes me feel incredibly full. So I usually don't eat another meal for like 2-3 hours later... SCORE! (The later I eat my lunch, the less I eat during the day. When I eat my lunch at like 11am, I'm asking for trouble. I end up snacking at 1pm.. then 2... then 2:45.... then 3:15... you get the idea..)

So workout and eat up!

-Emily