One question I often here is “What should I eat before and after a workout to optimize performance and enhance muscle growth and recovery?”

Before a Workout :

Think about this….when you are working out you want enough energy to last your whole workout. No one wants to tire out before they’ve pushed their muscles to the max, so you need a meal that will keep you energized. A meal containing complex carbohydrates is exactly what you need for your workout because they release energy at a steady rate. Some good pre-workout, complex carb choices include bananas, melon and sweet potatoes.

Pre-Workout Meal Options

Banana and a glass of almond milk
Apple with a handful of nuts
Nonfat plain yogurt with berries

After a Workout:

Your post-workout meal should be eaten within an hour of ending your workout to replenish your glycogen and potassium stores and feed your body the protein it needs to repair muscle tissue. Ideally, you want to choose lean proteins and carbohydrates that are metabolized easily, so your body can quickly deliver nutrients where they have to go. Chicken, fish, eggs and whey are all good post-workout protein sources, and bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and raisins are rich in both potassium and glycogen.

Post-Workout Meal Options

Grilled chicken breast with sweet potato
Egg whites with tomato and steamed spinach
Protein shake with fresh fruit

Finally, don’t forget to rehydrate! An essential part of your pre and post-workout meals is water. The AARP recommends that you drink about one cup of water for each 15 minutes of exercise you perform.

What other meals/snacks do you find that benefit you?

Have you ever heard of the term BMR?  Well, your BMR is the number of calories your body burns in a day just doing “normal” things throughout the day.  BMR essentially, is the number of calories your body burns just to maintain your heartbeat, digestion, respiration, tissue repair and other organ functions.

BMR is influenced by a number of factors, including age, weight, height, gender, environmental temperature, and your diet and exercise habits. You can also increase your BMR with exercises.  Because of all of these different factors, it’s hard to pin down your BMR to the precise calorie, but we can get pretty close by using a specific formula.

Here are some formulas for figuring out your BMR. You’ll need a calculator (unless you’re really good at math ) to plug your numbers into whichever formula applies to you.

MALE: 66 + (6.3 × body weight in pounds) + (12.9 × height in inches) − (6.8 × age in years)

FEMALE: 655 + (4.3 × weight in pounds) + (4.7 × height in inches) − (4.7 × age in years)

One thing to keep in mind is that your basal metabolic rate accounts for only about 75 percent of your total daily caloric expenditure.  You’ll want to to learn more about how to apply it to your calorie needs and can do so my contacting me and I’ll help you determine that.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“Feb 2010…Eating ice cream at 1am because I was a closet eater. Insanity Infomercial came on and I decided to order it! Why Not! I was a full-time college student with 3 kids that were 4,2 and 1 at the time. Husband was only home to help on the weekends but somehow I managed to commit 60 days of Pure Insanity! I also ordered 10 minute Trainer because I went Insane around day 40 and decided to cut tv time off and make my kids do 10 minutes with me! Why Not!!!! I lost 26lbs and took my life back! That summer I did Turbo FIre and lost a dress size! Also fell in love with TurboFire!~my SOUL Mate workout. Afterwards did a crazy P90X/Insanity/TurboFire hybrid and continued to steadily drop more weight. Jan 2011 I messed with Body Gospel before committing to Brazil Butt Lift. Lost another dress size with that and then I ENTERED THE ASYLUM. OMG! the fat on my legs began to melt and I was stronger than ever! Even tho I workout like a mad woman My nutrition continued to be a struggle. It wasnt until I went to the Beachbody Summit in June 2011, my fellow coaches/friends got REAL with me and challenge me to CUT THE CRAP! And so I Did! I Aug 2011 I completely ate clean and started Chalean Extreme! That’s when the MAJIC happened! Muscle started to melt the fat and now Im on my P90X journey and can’t wait to graduate this program! Currently have lost 50lbs and keot it off! Since drinking Shakeology I haven’t gained any weight back Its my FIX when I wanna have something sweet. Shakeology has helped my digestive system tremendously and I no longer have hemorrhoids I love Beachbody! I love the products and the people! Somebody asked me “what triggered you to finally do something about your health?” When my brother got engaged in JUly 2009 my mom said,”uh-oh Sara you better do something. You dont want to be known as the fat sister.”

REAL Results, REAL People. Message me for details on how you can transform your life.

Flu season is here. If you haven’t had it yet, I certainly hope that you don’t get it as well as anyone else you know.

For me, eating healthy and working out each day help keeps my immune system in check.  Staying away from processed foods and eating clean can really add up. Seriously, it will make a difference!

When you’re not feeling well, the last thing you want to do is exercise and eat well. I’ve been there….all of us have. If you are trying to work out when you’re feeling sick, it can be overwhelming. But, don’t allow your illness to come between you and your routine. You can still stay on track; just modified of course. Listen to your body. If you need a day of rest, it’s okay. Just don’t use it as an excuse for not working out. If you’re well enough to exercise, the key is to keep some momentum going without overdoing it. If you do fall off the wagon, don’t give up once you’re feeling better. Just get back up and get back on track.