Why does exercising make you hungry and what to eat after training?

Apparently, what is known so far is that during the first weeks of a new training routine it is possible to observe that hunger levels increase after exercise. In fact, increased appetite is the body’s way of remembering that energy needs to be recharged To recoup what was spent during training. As your fitness level improves, your appetite becomes more controllable.

Duration and intensity of activity

The longer the workout, the longer it takes for the body to return to a state of equilibrium. After an hour of exercise, you can do some stretching, shower, and get dressed before you get hungry. Take advantage and eat a balanced meal or snack with some water.

On the other hand, intense exercise sessions, such as spinning, tend to suppress appetite, Research shows that the hunger hormone ghrelin is suppressed after long, intense workouts.

Additionally, when the body works hard, blood flow is diverted from the stomach to the heart and muscles. Due to reduced blood flow in the intestine, appetite decreases. In fact, some people describe feeling nauseous after intense exercise. And yet, during low to moderate intensity workouts, such as walking or a leisurely jog, your appetite may increase.

Personal trainer Andrea de Ayala (@entrenaconandre) explains that when we are in the middle of training we usually do not feel hungry because at that time the body is under stress and only thinks about delivering oxygen to all parts of the body. , so it doesn’t happen that we are focused on asking for food because “our stomach also gets clogged due to stress.” Of course, after a few minutes, when we calm back down, your heart rate goes down and your whole system relaxes, and then your appetite kicks in.

Exercise creates hunger because of the effort you put in and the demand for calories needed for your energy stores, whether it’s energy that comes through fat or energy that comes through carbohydrates. So, these are two deposits where you store fat and carbohydrates during training or during the day to get energy from which your body can draw and spend,” says the expert.

So, if you have energy to consume slowly throughout the day and suddenly you give your body a workout where it requires a greater amount of energy in a shorter period of time, you need to replenish that store. There will be requirement which you have cleared through training.

what to eat after training

After training, the body is asking you to refill the energy tank with food, so he will absorb more of what you give, rather than giving him food when he is not hungry, when he needs it. Don’t be.

Here, whatever nutrients you give it, whether good or bad, it will accept. As dietitian-nutritionist Fatima Japan points out, “A good post-workout meal should be composed of carbohydrates, which are essential for proper recovery; A good supply of protein is important to promote muscle adaptation to exercise and, of course, water to hydrate yourself correctly, avoiding dehydration and hypothermia.

Coach Ayala explains the following: “You have broken fibers And the only way to nourish the muscles is with protein, which is what the training you do helps your muscles improve, grow, and form new fibers, which is the food with which muscles grow And he is nourished and healthy. These are foods of animal origin, such as eggs, fish or yogurt, or vegetables, such as tofu or almonds, to help muscle recovery.

Fatima Japan recommends that the base of your post-workout meal be fresh cheese and whey protein. “In addition, it should be mixed with fruits – such as bananas, strawberries or grapes –, oats, muesli, corn flakes and dates,” he highlights. And to finish, you can also add chocolate (always with more than 85% cocoa), peanut butter, nuts or seeds.

Before training…

Food before training is also important. You will have more or less energy depending on what you eat. Andrea de Ayala remembers that you should not eat a “doughnut”, but rather a banana, a piece of toast, a muesli bar… “something that will give you instant energy” and then it is important to take protein, as explained is up, because your muscles are very tired. These are carbohydrates.

Dietitian-nutritionist Fatima Japan emphasizes that some foods, even if they contain good carbohydrates, take a very long time to digest. For example, eating nuts before training is a very common mistake, although it is a very healthy food, “their digestion, due to the high fiber and fat content, can be negatively reflected in training.”

Take carbohydrates because ultimately it is almost better than fat, because fat is more complex or difficult to digest.

For example, nuts are more difficult to digest than carbohydrates, such as a fast-absorbing banana in which the body immediately assimilates all the sugars and carbohydrates in that banana and you need to consume it immediately for your training. Allows, then, to obtain energy. Before training, the best thing is to take carbohydrates, obviously clean.

This is very important when you finish eating before making dinner or breakfast or a full meal.

Just because that food is rich in protein, it does not mean eating only protein.

Because in addition, for the proper absorption of proteins and the synthesis of those proteins in the blood it is important that it contains some carbohydrates.

So sugars, glucose carbohydrates, that glucose helps fix proteins, so it’s not just about taking protein, but also about making sure that your food is rich in protein and more abundant in protein. Is in.