If you want to decrease the soreness in the muscles of your body, regular exercise is the first step. However, you may still experience great soreness after exercising.
This is where your diet strongly comes into play. What you eat can have a great effect on how your muscles function and feel.
To begin with, carbohydrates are your primary source of fuel when you are exercising. However, amino acids, supplied in part through the breakdown of muscle proteins, also provide some energy.
The longer you workout, the less carbs become a source, and the more amino acids are used for energy. Athletes can minimize the number of muscle proteins that must be broken down to supply energy by beginning their workouts with more glycogen stored in their muscles.
It is important, then, that athletes top off their muscle glycogen stores before beginning their exercise or sports program. The best way to do this is to eat a meal which consists of mostly low- to moderate-glycemic carbohydrates a few hours before you begin your exercise.
The pre-workout meal should also contain some protein. With amino acids being the building blocks of protein, the more you consume, the more energy you will be able to sustain while you workout.
While you are working out, consuming a carbohydrate-protein supplement can further minimize muscle tissue damage, and accelerate protein synthesis after you are finished. The best way to do this is through a sports drink, which consists of six to eight percent proteins.
A sports drink is the best form in which to consume carbohydrate and protein during workouts, not only because these nutrients will be more quickly absorbed in this form, but also because it provides the water and electrolytes needed to prevent dehydration during exercise. Try drinking a few ounces every ten minutes while you are working out.
After you are done, you still need to watch what you are consuming. It is not possible to consume enough carbohydrates during moderate- to high-intensity exercise to replace what is burned, nor to completely offset muscle protein degradation.
Thus, it is important to eat additional carbohydrates and proteins after you finish your exercising. The sooner you can do this the better, because your body is able to synthesize glycogen and protein at more than twice the normal rate, because of your heightened insulin receptivity in the muscle cells following exercise.
This is when your muscles are recovering. It continues for the first two hours after you finish-it is very important for your body.
Carbohydrate-protein sports drinks are again the best immediate post-workout nutrition source, because of their rapid absorption and their water and electrolyte content. When you use these drinks, and solid foods as well, you will be able to fully replenish all of your fluid losses. You should consume ten to twenty percent of your daily carbohydrate and protein intake within the first two hours after completing your program or sports game.
In addition to consuming appropriate amounts of carbohydrate and protein before, during, and immediately after workouts, you can reduce muscle damage and soreness by maintaining a diet that is generally high in antioxidants. You will be surprised at the difference this can make.
Oxygen radicals are believed to play a role in the cellular damage that follows the rupture of muscle fibers during exercise. By consuming plenty of antioxidant vitamins and enzymes on a daily basis, you can greatly limit this damage.
Try taking a vitamin C and E supplement. Vitamins C and E appear to be the most effective antioxidant defenders against free radical damage to muscle tissues.
Citrus fruits, melon, and berries are good sources of vitamin C, if you want to get it from a food source. Vegetable oils, nuts, dark green vegetables and whole grains are rich in vitamin E.
While some amount of soreness and tissue damage is normal, too much is harmful. Proper sports nutrition practices can minimize these effects, and help you to feel more comfortable.
If you are consistent in these practices, you will recover more quickly between workouts and competitions, and perform better while you are going. You can wake up in the morning feeling energized and ready to go, instead of feeling tired, stiff, and sore.
Find the right sports drinks for your needs, and start your new program today. You will love the way that you feel when you do.
Author Resource:-
Tom Selwick is a personal trainer and has authored hundreds of articles relating to physical training and home exercise equipment. He has been a health expert and physical trainer for over 15 years.
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