Jun
14
Why do you work out? Is it to build muscles? To be healthier? To burn calories? Those are all great reasons, but if you had asked me that question a few years back out I would have told you “so I can eat more!” Yep, I would workout just to justify my eating. I would hike or go to the gym and then binge on food. Even worse, my post workout meals were usually my worst in terms of healthy food. I can’t count how many times I would come back from a great hike only to finish out the afternoon in some buffet. These days I watch other people I work out with. They go on hikes and then have a giant burrito. They work out at the gym and then down two of those energy drinks. I even see some following in my own unhealthy footsteps by following up their great bike ride with a buffet and indulging in a binge that makes me cringe in memory.
Why binge?
So why do we do this? Well, there’s no doubt that exercise can leave some people hungry. I know that I personally feel starved if I’m physically active for more than two hours. So by the end of a hike or a good bike ride, I’m ready to run to the nearest restaurant and jump into their ice cream machine. Gym workouts don’t leave me quite as hungry but I still feel like eating something after I come out of the gym.
Solving the problem
So here are some tips on how to avoid the post workout binge:
Hydrate – A lot of that hunger you feel might not actually be hunger. It could just be your body’s way of asking for water. Make sure you hydrate throughout your workout. If you go hiking, bring water with you and drink it as you hike. Same goes for all other physical activities. At the gym, I try to drink water every 5 to 10 minutes.
Snack – Yep, you heard me right, I’m encouraging you to snack, but only in a healthy way. If you let your body get too low on food, you’re going to be tempted to binge. So keep those hunger levels from getting too high by bringing a healthy snack. When I go out to hike, I usually bring an apple, orange or some other piece of fruit with me. It keeps me from being too hungry at the end of the hike, which means I have an easier time controlling my hunger.
Avoid commercial products – All those energy drinks, sport water and trail mixes are usually crap. That Redbull? Nothing but sugar and caffeine. Gatorade? It’s good if you’re running a marathon but not for every day workouts. Trailmix with M&M’s in it? Junk! Too much sugar and fat. You’re better off with an apple. The same goes for power bars, fruit bars, sodas, dried fruit and all the other snacks the supermarket tries to pawn off on you as healthy. Stick to fresh fruit, veggies and water while being active.
Post workout meal – Yes, it’s perfectly fine to eat after your workout. In fact, I think it really helps recovery. However, keep it healthy. Exercise is not an excuse to binge. Keep your meal healthy and reasonable. All those healthy eating tips we talked about last week should not be forgotten just because you’re sweaty.
Summary
Don’t workout for the wrong reasons. You’re being physically active as a way of becoming healthier, not as an excuse to eat. So stick to your healthy eating habits and keep your sweaty self out of the buffet.
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