Episode 22: Nutrition for exercise

Welcome to the Beauty of Better Podcast, where we help moms thrive in health and fame.

Hey, mamas, we're so glad that you've joined us this morning.

We've been on a series recently on movement and learning to find ways to build up our strength so that we can be strong physically and mentally for everything that motherhood calls us to.

And so today, we just wanted to have a little brief discussion on how nutrition also adds to that strengthening process.

And we kind of want to step away from the mindset that, you know, focusing so much on the scales or on calories, especially when we're working on building our strength, we really want to look at how can food be fuel for us?

How can it help strengthen us with what we're doing either in the gym or maybe just at home?

So today, we're just going to have a real brief discussion on that.

I know it's kind of a big topic, but we're just going to briefly cover how you can strengthen yourself with your nutrition for these workouts.

So maybe Kelsey or Christiana, does one of you want to jump in with some ideas on that?

Yeah, I can jump in on that.

So I think, like you said, a lot of times we have this mindset as women, like, oh, we just have to eat less, and then everything will work in our favor.

But especially when you're trying to build muscle, you actually really need to be consuming enough, and you might need to eat more of quality foods than you're actually eating right now.

So it might mean that you actually have something to eat right before you work out.

When you're doing resistance training, strength training, like we've been talking about, or even last time we talked about doing cardio, really, carbohydrates are super important to consume prior to exercise.

They're a main source of fuel that we're going to be using.

And so in order to improve our performance when we're actually putting in all this effort and we're working hard and we're pushing ourselves with whatever we're doing, we really need to be consuming some type of carbohydrate that's going to be able to be used quickly.

So I always think of when I was a kid and during soccer games, you guys remember like the orange slices that they used to shut up.

That's a great example of a quick, like a carbohydrate that can be accessed quickly.

It's got a lot of good sugars in it.

It's natural because it's coming from a fruit.

But something like that right before you work out is going to give you actually like a burst of energy, and you'll be able to just feel better when you're doing your exercise.

And I would also add in to, if you haven't consumed protein for several hours prior to exercise, it might be beneficial to add in a little bit of protein too.

That's just talking about like prior to working out.

So I'll just add to that.

Oh, you want to go, Christiana?

Go for it.

I was just going to add to that and just say, when you have carbs right before you work out, your body can process them very quickly.

So it's something that breaks down fast in your body, so it's like instant energy.

And you want your body burning that instant energy when you're working out, because you don't want it burning the muscle that you've worked so hard to get.

So you want to give it something to have energy so that it's not taking away from what you're actually trying to build.

And I think one of the great blends that is, tries to get reproduced a lot in these fitness culture conferences that we go to is chocolate milk, right?

It's a beautiful blend of carbohydrate and protein.

And depending on what your exercise is a combination of, you might be doing endurance, aerobic exercise, or you might be doing lifting.

And chocolate milk actually has both.

And I know there's allergies out there, and so that might not work for everyone.

So there are alternatives to that.

But just the ratio of carb to protein and that specific thing.

And that the fact that it's easy to digest, kind of going off of what Daniel was saying, is really important to have that fuel readily in your bloodstream so that you can access that to be able to really work at your best.

And I think kind of going alongside working with your best, the refueling afterwards is also going to be important.

The place that I work out happens to be right next to a donut shop.

And so, you know, sometimes when we're done working out, there's the joke of like, oh, yeah, it's great that we work out here because we're in our donut shop.

The refuel needs to be just as intentional as the pre-fuel as well.

So, you know, making sure that you're, whether it's resistance training is going to be more a protein-heavy refuel, or if it's endurance training, it's going to be more carbohydrate-ready refuel.

Because if you imagine those as separate gas tanks, you know, you've got your carbohydrate gas tank and your protein gas tank, you know, before you hit another bout of exercise again, you're going to want to fill up those tanks.

So you do want to kind of get that in your system afterwards in a timely manner, but yet also in an intentional manner, right?

That's quality food.

I love that you're our analogy queen, Christiana.

That's so helpful to think of, like filling up both of those things, your protein and your carbohydrate.

Maybe could we speak in to, so we do have, if moms want to listen back, we have episodes on carbohydrates and protein specifically.

But can we speak into maybe a little bit, so like protein intake throughout the day, because research is kind of establishing that a bit more, that protein spread throughout the day can be more helpful.

So in regards to exercise, what could that look like in a day for a mom?

Maybe some ideas around that.

Yeah, so like you said, protein consumption throughout the whole day, like if you're trying to shoot for say like 100 grams, if you can have that however you can have it, right?

So you could do it three meals, you could do it three meals and two snacks, maybe you do it four meals.

But if we are talking about, you know, having it before and after exercise too, trying to have it within a couple hours after you exercise is probably best.

So, you know, that could be like, there's so many different things you can eat for protein, right?

You could grab hard boiled eggs, you could grab, like, something my kids love is like peanut butter.

And peanut butter has also got fat in it too, but it does have a little bit of protein.

But peanut butter, bananas on like toast, that's got carbohydrates too.

Like that might be something kid friendly too, that you can all make together and like have together if you're working out with your kids.

But just trying to stay focused on whole foods, right?

So maybe it's ground beef, maybe it's chicken, and maybe it's fish or steak or whatever.

But when I'm trying to put together meals quickly, and we're talking about like, oh, I just exercise, and I'm starting to feel my blood sugar drop, and I'm feeling a little bit shaky, and I need something fast, you could actually go back and listen to that meal planning episode that we did, where we talked about some strategies for that.

But if you have stuff already made in the fridge, then you can kind of just toss it together.

Like yesterday, I had a ground beef burger that I had made with some sweet potatoes that I had made, so I didn't actually have to make anything.

I just kind of warmed it up and ate it.

So I think a smoothie too sometimes is helpful.

That can be a really fast way to get carbohydrates and protein, if we're talking about either before or after really.

Like, yogurt is a great one that has easily available protein to consume.

Those are just a few that pop into my head.

But I think just focusing on adding, right?

Like, how can we add food to what we're already doing?

And don't focus on, don't just look at the calories on the item.

Like, think about the actual macronutrients like we're talking about.

So macronutrients are protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

So really, if we're talking about exercise, we want to focus on carbs and proteins are the most important ones to surround that timeframe where we're exercising.

So does anybody else have any ideas on that, thoughts on that?

I just remember our episode on protein and how you just said, treat it like your part-time job.

Like, it's easier to get carbs.

Like, we're usually good at that, but protein is a lot harder.

And so I do feel like going back to that protein episode, the meal planning episode, where it's like, how do you have things prepped and ready to go so that when your body needs it, you have it.

And we did talk about protein about, like, within two hours after exercising.

I would just add, like, carbs and possibly protein before exercise, probably an hour before, right?

So just having those windows of time frame for reference.

Yeah.

I think tying into, like, our previous episode on meal planning, I don't think we touched on, like, there's so many valuable apps out there that you guys can use if you're unsure if the food is quality or not.

So I often do a lot of the grocery shopping for a family, but, like, if a family member is doing it or for engaging our kids, I have an app that we use, and they'll scan the barcodes of the food, and it will give a grade of A, B, C, or D, and say why.

And then it will say, oh, this food is high in protein, this food is low in sodium or whatnot.

And we talk about, okay, well, is that matching what we're wanting to purchase this item for?

And so kind of using those tools that maybe you might not already use to help you be like, okay, I'm going to set up my plan for the workout this week.

I'm going to meal plan.

I'm going to exercise two times or three times.

And these are going to be my post-protein, you know, protein or carbohydrate, snacks, my pre.

And you just kind of know that like, hey, this is real food.

It's not just a lot of chemicals and processed additives, right?

And I even think the other piece that, you know, can't really dive too deep on today is like the example that Kelsey gave of oranges, has so many vitamins and minerals too.

And so that's like a micronutrient that we haven't even dabbled in.

That is so critical for your optimal performance and success.

I was talking to a student who's running a half marathon, and then a week later running a marathon.

And I was telling about this research article that I read about cherry juice and tart cherries and just eating a bowl of cherries and how powerful that is for antioxidants and promoting recovery, particularly from something very exhaustive like a marathon.

So food that's real and grown is really what we're trying to encourage you to do.

It's easier to access probably than a more processed item, and it's going to not just give you the macros, but also those micros, which we'll talk about in a different episode.

I love that, Cristiana.

And I get excited talking about hearing about cherries and the benefits that they have, like natural foods.

If we get our focus off of, once again, the calories and nutrition and how God puts so much amazing stuff in food.

Honestly, I swear I make myself a turmeric latte after a hard workout.

And I honestly, the next day, feel so different.

And I studied turmeric, that's what I wrote my research on when I was doing my master's in nutrition, just the powerful antioxidant effects.

And the more you study whole foods, you're just amazed.

God is awesome.

He put these healing things in food.

And to come at food with a perspective of wonder, like, wow, God, you made this for our good.

And it just makes food exciting again.

So I just want to encourage the mamas out there, if you're stressing over the scales and stressing over, what should I eat, what should I not eat, just find the wonder again in having fun with food and like, yes, getting the carbohydrates, getting your protein in there, but just like whole foods like that grow from the earth.

And it can just be so much more fun than we think.

And maybe if that is you, that you struggle with just the idea of food and with exercise and all that, I just encourage you this week to come before the Lord and just ask him to help you in that.

He came that we would have freedom.

And so I just, that's my prayer over you, mom, is that if you've struggled with this in your life, that God would just speak to you and bring freedom to the areas that you need in that.

But yeah, we just bless you in that.

But did we want to share, is there any other thoughts on that before we kind of wrap up this episode?

I know it's very short on a very topic that could go forever, but.

No, I think that's so good.

And I just echo that.

And maybe even a practical step with that, if somebody's struggling with that, is hide your scale.

Hide it for a month and focus on what you're eating and not the numbers.

And just let yourself be okay with that and find freedom in that.

So I would just echo that, Kathleen.

Christiana, I did want to ask you a question based on what you were saying.

What is the app?

I know we're not getting sponsored, we're not having anybody pay for this episode, but what is the app that gives you the grades just in case people are looking for something?

Because sometimes you search for an app, and 20 pop up, and you're like, which one is okay?

Yeah.

So the one that I used that I actually heard about at a conference that I went to, it was called Fooducate.

So being in education myself, I like that acronym, but it's called Fooducate, and I've been using it for a very long time.

And it has a lot of great tools, but I think being in this profession, I can say, oh yeah, they're highlighting this thing or that.

But for most uses, as I find it's very user-friendly for someone who might not be as aware of what's healthy or not.

So Fooducate is a friend.

And I even ask my students if they need help with those things, and I recommend that as well, too.

And then maybe we'll post that research article on cherries as well, because I listened to a whole session at a conference on that, and I just was blown away.

That even just the skin of the cherries, like, yeah, you could get tart cherry juice, and that's good.

But the actual sitting and eating a bowl of cherries is just going to be a powerhouse for you, too.

That's really awesome.

And I think that we all, like, incorporate food as medicine and exercise as medicine in many of our lectures.

And I'd love to see Beauty of Better go deeper with that, and even have episodes where we do pull apart research articles and look at the health benefits of different food items.

I think that would be so beneficial.

And I think, again, like Kathleen was saying, it's exciting to learn about that, to see, like, what do we have available where we can actually be helping our bodies by adding to it, instead of just living in a deficit mindset.

Love that.

Yeah, and I think, going back, I just want to echo what Kelsey was saying earlier about eating it through the day, it helps you maintain what you need, and so that you're not going to have these peaks and valleys of that blood sugar, and that you're going to be able to sustain just life, and not rather being like, oh, exercise is exhausting, and I don't have energy after I exercise to do everything else, but it ties in, like, we have to have our fueling matching what we're demanding of our bodies.

So I just think that's so important to be like, okay, it's not just refuel as fast as you can, as much as you can, and forget about it, but we want to have that sustained.

So just echoing the importance of that.

That's so good.

And we do have that episode on smart goals too.

I feel like that can be a component of it, of just planning in advance, having food ready to grab, and also just that mindset of, it's okay to go outside of social norms.

I exercised the other morning and I was like, I really need protein, and I didn't plan, but I grabbed a piece of chicken.

And it's like, I don't normally have chicken for breakfast, but I knew that I needed protein, and it was readily available.

So again, we have a Smart Goals episode, if you're looking for being more intentional and want help planning meals, we have a meal planning episode, a protein episode.

So lots of resources that we're building for you guys, and we'll have more in the subscription model to come.

But mamas, we just hope that you were encouraged today on this just brief introduction on nutrition for exercise, and we will have many more episodes to come, and we just bless you today as you take one small step to becoming better.

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