If you want to maximize exercise results, you have to make sure you’re fueling your body PROPERLY. There are very specific steps to take to ensure you haven’t wasted the effort you put into your physical activity. The last thing you want is to nullify everything you’ve just accomplished by adding or not adding the proper nutrients.
If you’ve been physically active long enough, you’ve probably heard an array of different strategies to achieve results. Please understand that my goal is not for you to be a bodybuilder. The ultimate goal is true health, not just looking good. This world is full of people that physically look great but are extraordinarily unhealthy. What I’m going to offer you is the best of both worlds. I want to help you make sure that you’re maximizing your workouts through proper nutrition.
It’s actually quite simple. When it comes to health, people only care about two things. One is the truth. The other is results. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what works on a consistent basis. I want to make sure you’re getting the results you need and desire.
The Good and the Bad
To maximize your exercise results, you’ll want to add and also eliminate certain things. Post workout, you need to avoid energy drinks, sugary sports drinks, and energy bars. These products have sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and fructose which will sabotage what you’ve worked for. Sugar, especially fructose, “fools” your metabolism. When you consume fructose, 100% of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. It doesn’t appropriately stimulate insulin, which, in turn, doesn’t suppress ghrelin (our hunger hormone). Leptin, the satiety (satisfied-feeling) hormone, also is NOT stimulated which will make you want to eat more, which will cause insulin resistance. Fructose is also the culprit for Metabolic Syndrome; low HDL, high LDL particle (small) size, high blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar.
Consuming sugar/fructose after exercise will counteract your natural human growth hormone production. HGH (human growth hormone) is absolutely vital for muscle-building and fat burning. One of the reasons why it’s so important to avoid sugar/fructose after a workout is that it will prevent the production of the hormone, Somatostatin. Somatostatin inhibits the body’s production of HGH. Essentially, sugar will “erase” everything you just accomplished during exercise. If you’re going to consume carbohydrates AFTER a workout, give yourself AT LEAST an hour before you do. Remember to consume the majority of your carbohydrates through vegetables.
Most Important Meal for Workout Recovery
After exercise, you must eat within 20-30 minutes. Your meal needs to include QUALITY and FAST-ASSIMILATING protein. High-quality grass-fed whey protein is your best option. Whey protein is the most bio-available protein on the planet. Amino acids found in whey protein activate cellular mechanisms which promote muscle protein synthesis. Make sure the whey protein is from a grass-fed source, cold-pressed, and sweetened with all-natural sweeteners such as Stevia and/or Xylitol. If you’re having a difficult time finding a QUALITY whey source, contact your local Maximized Living doctor for assistance.
Follow these simple steps to ensure you’re getting ALL the benefits from your hard work.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Dr. B,
I have heard in your office that we should avoid milk, yet isn’t whey the solids from milk?
This is really good advice! I have often wondered if it really mattered what you ate after working out or not. Thanks for making this so clear!