The sky is blue, the days are longer and our bikinis are calling out to us! We all dream of that wonderful bikini body all of which is helped by good nutrition and exercise. To get your body bikini ready in the least amount of time there are certain foods & drinks that should be eaten around physical activity to maximise the benefits and get the most from your exercise.
Within part of a weight loss programme exercise and a reduction of calorie intake as part of a healthy diet go hand in hand and have been shown to work successfully. Also exercise supports a healthy lifestyle impacting our heart, lungs and has even been shown to manage our stress hormones.
To get the most out of our exercise programme there are some nutritional top tips:
Prior to exercising roughly 1.2-2 hours before have a meal which consists of complex carbohydrates, protein and fluids, for example a breakfast consisting of a bowl of fruit salad with seeds and one egg with a slice of wholemeal Irish brown bread followed by a herbal tea or glass of water. The trick with this meal is to ensure that when you start the exercise you are neither full nor hungry. This balance of a meal will allow you get the most out of your workout ensuring you don’t run out of steam halfway through and the protein will ensure you have stores to rebuild damaged cells post exercise.
If you are training for something specific like an important match, mini marathon or a long cycle nutrition becomes more complex as 48 hours prior to the ‘big event’ carbohydrate and fluid loading needs to take place to ensure you have sufficient energy and fluid stores to complete the activity.
During exercise it is vital to remain hydrated by drinking water throughout; regular drinks will keep the body replenished of the fluid it is losing through sweat. If you require a specific sports drink due to feeling weak half way through a programme, a simple one to make at home is 2/3 water and 1/3 unsweetened apple juice, this should provide enough sugar to pep you up.
Post exercise roughly within 15 minutes grab a piece of fruit and a handful of seeds, again to replenish glycogen stores and support muscle repair and ensure that within 1-2 hours you have a balanced meal as described above.
The above tips will support you through your exercise programme allowing you to push yourself just that bit further and ensure that bikini will look totally fabulous!
By Andrea Murray
