One Week Down...

OK, so I just finished my first complete week and I’m feeling really good. I put myself on a menu and have been exact about following it. I worked out 5 days this week. I combined resistance training and cardio for maximum fat burning and a whole lot of sweating.

I was reading Michelle’s blog today. In it she said that she feels like all she wants after working out is carbs. The scientist in me can not resist the temptation to comment. This desire for carbs after your workout is absolutely normal and a correct interpretation of signals your body sends and I’ll tell you why. When you workout, your muscles use something called glycogen as fuel. Glycogen is nothing more than stored glucose, or blood sugar, which is gotten from carbohydrates. After a really intense workout, you have depleted your glycogen stores, which need to be built back up. But, what you want to eat immediately after you’ve finished your workout is protein. Eating protein (like a protein shake) within 15 minutes of ending your workout will prevent your body from breaking down your muscle, or other proteins in your body (like internal organs) to rebuild itself. Once you’ve had that, then you have about 2 hours, on average, to eat a full meal (protein, carbs, and fat) to build back up the glycogen stores. This will fuel you up for your next workout. I usually have my post-workout meal about an hour after I drink my shake, which I have immediately after I finish stretching out. I'd recommend that to anyone who is working out with the intention of burning fat.