Should You Eat Certain Foods for Different Types of Workouts?
1. Intense Cardio
Intense cardio can include running 5k, 10k or a marathon, as well as long-distance swimming, cycling or triathlons etc. Preparation for this type of exercise includes what you eat. Hannah recommends that 70% of your calories come from carbs, including 15% fat and 15% protein. Similar to the foods listed above, this can be whole grain pasta, avocado, quinoa, berries and chicken.
2. Average Cardio
This is what you're likely doing on a weekly basis, think treadmill, elliptical, rowing, or stair climber. In this instance, Hannah recommends keeping on top of hydration, regular meals and snacking. If you're doing a high intensity class (such as boxing or HIIT) then have a high carb snack beforehand as this helps with avoiding fatigue during the workout. Toast, bananas, eggs and cereal are good for this.
3. Strength Training
You don't need loads of carbs for strength training, you should instead consume lots of protein as this helps with muscle growth. Though there is a fine line between too much protein and too little, protein shakes or smoothies work well before strength training. Hannah recommends between 15-18 grams of protein pre-workout for women and between 20 and 25 for men.
4. Yoga and Pilates
Yoga and pilates can be quite strenuous which means eating lots of carbs and staying hydrated is important. With lots of yoga and pilate moves requiring bending and stretching, you should stick with easily digestible carbs such as rice, bananas, crackers and sweet potato.
There are some good formulas to work out how much protein you should have depending on the amount of exercise you usually do:
Casual gym-goer: 0.5-0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight
Athletes: 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight
Bodybuilders and intense strength trainers: 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight