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WHAT YOU PUT INTO your body before and after a workout may be as
important as the kind of exercise you do. Research has shown that if
you’re not properly fueled, vigorous exercise can compromise your
immune system rather than boost it—by breaking down muscles instead
of building them up and by depleting your body of essential nutrients.
Here’s a simple plan to optimize your performance. —Susan Crandell
Fuel Your Workouts
HOW TO PICK FOODS THAT BUILD STAMINA AND BOOST YOUR IMMUNI T Y
Fitness
Cut
Cancer
Risk
In a Duke
University
Medical Center study,
men who exercised reg-
ularly (akin to moderate
walking several hours
weekly) lowered their
risk of prostate cancer
by 65 percent. Exercis-
ers who got the disease
also had lower-grade
tumors than those who
didn’t work out.
BEFORE YOU EXERCISE
Power Up
What to eat To avoid
cramps or nausea, have
your last full meal three to
four hours before exercising. Then, an hour before
you work out, eat a small
snack—100 to 200 calories—that’s predominantly
carbohydrates. Carbs are
key, says Wendy Bazilian,
Dr. P. H., R. D., coauthor of
The SuperFoodsRx Diet,
because “they go into the
bloodstream faster than
protein or fat.” Good
choices: half a banana, a
handful of grapes, a piece
of toast with some jam.
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DURING YOUR WORKOU T
Avoid a Crash
What to eat Exercising
for an hour or less? You
probably don’t need to eat
during your workout—you
have enough glucose in
your blood and glycogen
stored in your muscles,
says Christine Gerbstadt,
M.D., R.D., spokesperson
for the American Dietetic
Association. A boost if you
need one: a 100-calorie,
high-carb snack, such as
half an energy bar.
..............................
AF TER YOU EXERCISE
Build Muscle
What to eat Your post-workout snack (100 to 150
calories) should include
protein for muscle repair
and recovery. Jackie Buell,
Ph.D., R.D., director of
sports nutrition at Ohio
State University, says the
recommended ratio of
carbohydrates to protein
is about 3 to 1. Some good
after-workout snacks: low-fat yogurt with fresh fruit,
apple slices with low-fat
peanut butter, or half a
turkey sandwich on
whole-wheat bread.
..............................
Play Wii, Get Wee
Wii video sports games
like tennis and boxing
can ward off or lessen
obesity—and may
even prevent ailments
such as heart disease
and diabetes, report
researchers at Japan’s
National Institute of
Health and Nutrition.
What to drink To ward
off dehydration, drink 8 to
16 ounces of water within
an hour of working out.
What to drink Bazilian
recommends 6 to 8 ounces
of water for every 15 minutes of exercise. If you end
up exercising more than an
hour, try downing a sports
drink such as Gatorade or
Powerade.
What to drink Start
with 16 to 24 ounces of
water. “You want to be
rehydrated within an
hour,” says Gerbstadt. ;
Ease Arthritis Pain
Older adults who did
one hour of tai chi
twice weekly cut their
pain from knee osteo-
arthritis considerably
in a 12-week study con-
ducted at Tufts Univer-
sity School of
Medicine.
—Chai
Woodham
