Transform Your Workouts After 50: What Women Need To Eat Before And After Exercise For Optimal Results

Small Space Fitness: Cat Corchado

What Women Need To Eat Before And After Exercise:

Now let me be clear here, I’m not a dietitian, I’m not a registered RD, I’m not any of that. However, after 40 years of being in the fitness industry, I’ve learned a few things about fueling your body. So I’m not going to give you macros and micros or anything like that, I’m just going to give you some tips. So we’re going to dive into the essentials of fueling your body right, correctly, to maximize your workout results. 

So whether you’re a morning gym enthusiast or someone who likes to wind down with an evening session, knowing what to eat before and after your workout can be a game changer in your health and fitness journey. So we’ve all been there, right? You think you’re okay, you go out for a run and halfway through your run, you realize you have very little fuel to run on and to get back. Or the opposite, you ate, you weren’t sure you should, but you did anyway. 

“If you’re going to really be putting your work out there, you need to fuel your body.”

And you find out that it’s a little too much, you got sleepy, you feel sluggish. There’s this happy medium between the two, okay? Let’s start with what what women need to eat before the workout.

Working Out On An Empty Stomach:

Some people say, oh, I love working out on an empty stomach. Depends on what you’re doing. Yoga? Okay. Pilates? Maybe. Running? No. Heavyweight training? No. Here’s what you should know about what women need to eat.

If you’re going to really be putting your work out there, you need to fuel your body. The goal here is to fuel your body with the right kind of energy to ensure you have enough stamina to power through your session.

We always talk about carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are bad. No, they’re not. Where do you think you get your energy from? Carbohydrates. 

Whether it’s a protein drink with some fruit in it, a banana, or something else. Just don’t work out on an empty stomach. My favorite is peanut butter on toast. Simple, easy, boom, done and done. Protein comes from the peanut butter. I usually use wheat bread and you’re good to go. It’s great. 

Carbohydrates are your body’s primary energy source while protein helps prevent muscle damage. What does this look like? Okay. Let’s say you’re eating carbs and you get hungry, you eat the carbs, energy level goes up, and then it drops you off the cliff. 

Let’s Talk Protein:

Why do I focus on the protein? It levels us out. The carbohydrates will last you a little bit longer. So a perfect pre-workout snack, which I just talked about, could be a banana with a spoonful of almond butter.

Bananas are packed with potassium – great to add to the what women need to eat list. They’re a great snack. Another excellent option is whole grain toast with sliced avocado. I said peanut butter, avocado, – pick your poison. The whole grain provides slow releasing energy, what I just talked about, and the avocado is full of healthy fats, same as the peanut butter. 

Let’s Talk Post Workout Nutrition:

You need something to give you that energy back because now you’re in a recovery mode. It’s crucial to replenish the nutrients lost during exercise. This is the time to feed your body with extra protein to help repair muscle tissue and carbohydrates to refill energy stores. 

One of the great things that I do is I have a protein shake after my workout and some fruit, apple slices, grapes, something like that. It’s quick, it’s easy. I love quick, easy, and good. And it’s crucial to help with what women need to eat

The protein aids in muscle repair because when you work out with weights, you tear down the muscle. But in reality, what happens after you tear it down, it rebuilds. And once it rebuilds, it rebuilds back more efficient, stronger, leaner, all of that. 

Okay. So remember, you have to stay hydrated too. One other key to a successful workout regimen, ensure you’re drinking plenty of water before, during, and after your workout to keep your body well hydrated.

“So remember, you have to stay hydrated too”

Water In My Workout Performance:

If I take a 24 ounce bottle of water to my workout, that whole bottle is supposed to in my mind, be gone after, especially if I’m doing weight training and cardio. And find out which way you drink water the best. For me, I drink a lot more water out of a straw. Don’t ask me why.

I hope these are some great ideas for you around what women need to eat. Remember, no matter what you eat, just make sure it’s not too much before and not too little afterward. Remember that fueling your body with the right nutrients at the right time can significantly enhance your workout performance and recovery. 

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