Nutrient TimingThe importance of fueling the body for athletic performance cannot be ignored when practicing ALL aspects of effective training.Up to this point, you’ve learned how it is unnecessary to deprive yourself in order to lose weight.You’ve learned that you must regulate your metabolism through the consumption of healthy calories in accordance with your body’s needs and your goals.We will now discuss how nutrient timing effects your performance and why you should eat certain types of foods at certain times throughout the day. Basically, carbohydrates can be considered your primary fuel.Consuming carbs in the morning (or before working out) will fuel your activities.Some people consider carbohydrates ‘bad’ and to be avoided but this is a mis-understanding due to the success of low-carb/highprotein diets.Just like fuel for your car, carbs are your essential daily fuel.Low-carb diets have a high tendency to result in fatigue as your body runs out of ‘gas.’ Protein can be thought of as ‘repair material’ for your muscles.At the end of a busy day or a heavy training session, your body needs to recover and repair.This is why we suggest consuming the majority of your protein toward the end of the day or after working out. Healthy fats, like olive oil, avocados, nuts, etc. is required for your cells to absorb all of the micro-nutrients in the foods you consume.But, because fats are more difficult to digest, they can result in discomfort if eaten before a heavy training session.Fats are also easily stored as fat in the body so consuming just prior to bedtime will result in extra stores of fat on your body.So, the consumption of fats should be avoided at these times. Of course, it is important to understand that these are general guidelines.There is no absolute which will suit all people, all the time. Experiment with timing your carbs, proteins, and fats to find what works best for YOU.
