I often get asked what I eat and to be honest my non-training, cardio and weights days can all vary significantly. A low calorie diet is great for weight loss. But to make to get the most out of your training sessions you need to follow it up with the right food selections to maximise the gains of the workout.

PGPT have always promoted a healthy and sustainable eating plan. It’s not always about weight loss! We want to promote and encourage clients to increase their energy, health and wellness. To do this, we need to not only exercise, but eat right. Develop a healthy relationship with food and you’ll never look back. There is a right time and place for everything.

All the team at PGPT have been training and eating right for years (for the majority of time! lol). This has come through trial and error, experience and science. We have found that eating a good post workout meal can really help all of us to feel better and gain the most out of our workout physically.

During a training session (especially one which is very intense or weights based) we put stress on our muscles, bones and joints and also our nervous system. It’s vital we utilise the correct foods in our post workout recovery meal. Your post workout meal should be eaten within 20-60 minutes after you exercise (your metabolism is going through the roof at this point especially if you’ve just completed a weights session) try and focus on replacing what you’ve lost during your session. Not eating the right foods can leave you at a higher risk of injury and also decrease your performance of your next workout hindering your ultimate goal.

Yes, protein is one of the most important parts of our diets and is the building block for our muscles, but a perfect recovery meal would also contain a lot of carbohydrates (quinoa, sweet potatoes, bananas) and good fats which are needed for repairing damage to joints and muscles. Often clients are scared to put carbs in their mouth. This however is the perfect time to eat a carb!

This does not have to be a cooked meal! I understand that time is often a restraint for our clients, so why not try a smoothie? Mix a scoop of protein powder with some dark green vegetables (kale or spinach work well in smoothies) add a piece of fruit, some oats and let’s not forget those fats…why not try a teaspoon of coconut oil to finish it off! This would create a perfect mix of vitamins, macronutrients and sugars that we need to replace following on from a heavy exercise session. Our bodies will adapt, grow and perform based on how we feed them. Food and nutrients are the foundation of the function and structure of our cells which determine how we heal and repair.

Food is an important part of recovery and if weight loss is your goal take the time to understand the optimal foods that your body will benefit from while keeping the calories down. You shouldn’t work out so that you can eat a chocolate bar or dig into a big plate of chips. This is not an extra meal and it should still be kept within your daily calorie limit. Over the years I have found that clients who are training for events like the London Marathon get their calories all out of whack. For example, they may have completed a 10km run for training that day which burns about 500kcals for the average male yet they then go into having a post run meal of 1500kcals. They then wonder why weight isn’t coming off or even creeping up!

Education is the key to success. Understand how to effectively utilise calories and get the best out of your macronutrients to stay ahead of the game. If you’re unsure about getting started with healthy eating PGPT are offering complimentary consultations to help you understand your body better. Visit www.pgpt.co.uk to find out more.

Train hard guys and girls,

Nikki

P.s for more information about calories and macros…keep an eye out for our new Macros Ebook.