306-SYNCPodcast_Fueling

[00:00:00] Jenny Swisher: Welcome friends to this episode of the Sync Your Life podcast. Today, we’re diving into some pre workout fuel ideas for women who maybe aren’t used to fueling before a workout or who are busy on the go and simply just want easy ideas. It has been a hot minute since we talked about the importance of fueling before and after your workouts.

[00:01:16] Jenny Swisher: But I want to reiterate this because it really is that important. Women who train four or five, six days a week must make sure that they’re giving their bodies enough fuel, especially before and after workouts.

[00:01:32] Jenny Swisher: Now I’ve seen it time and time again, that women think that they should eat less and exercise more, or they may be fueling enough in all, but they’re doing fasted workouts, which is actually working against their physiology. We want to work with our bodies, not against them, and that means that fueling your tank before you empty it in a workout, and then replenishing it after the fact, is key.

[00:01:53] Jenny Swisher: As my friend Emily Yates said on the podcast recently, you wouldn’t send your child out onto the basketball court or the soccer field without any fuel. So why would you do that to yourself and your workouts? The truth is, it doesn’t have to be complicated. I have women in my inbox daily asking, well, what am I supposed to eat?

[00:02:10] Jenny Swisher: I’m not hungry in the mornings. I’m used to fasted workouts. I can’t eat a full meal and work out. Well, I get it. Change is hard. But you do not have to eat an entire steak dinner before you work out. In fact, it can be as simple as just 10 15 mg of protein and a simple carb to get you going. Likewise, women need post workout fuel.

[00:02:31] Jenny Swisher: Specifically, 30 g of protein for the menstruating female within 30 minutes of exercise and 40 mg of protein for the post menopausal woman within 30 minutes of exercise. We need to be consuming full amino acids in the form of BCAAs, ensuring that we replenish in the way that we should. So let’s talk about what this can look like, because again, it doesn’t have to be a giant omelet or steak dinner, but it should become a priority for you if you want to get the most out of your workouts.

[00:02:59] Jenny Swisher: Now I am someone who has a night owl chronotype, so afternoon workouts are my wheelhouse. I do not wake up early to work out. My kids are in school, so after I eat lunch around 1pm, I usually eat, by the way, about 4 cups of veggies with 30 grams of lean protein for my lunch. I head to the basement where I follow my Sync Fitness Program workouts within an hour of eating.

[00:03:18] Jenny Swisher: So for me, lunch is my pre workout. For other people, breakfast might be. But for many women, especially women working outside the home, or who travel often, or who have early morning responsibilities with kids, Something quick and easy before they do their workout is truly all that’s needed. We don’t need to overcomplicate this.

[00:03:37] Jenny Swisher: If you think about 10 to 15 milligrams of protein, that’s really as simple as a couple of hard boiled eggs, a grass finished beef stick, something like triple boost protein, which I’ll link up for you in the show notes, or even just your favorite protein shake. When I’m traveling, I almost always have these items packed along with me so that I can ensure that I have high protein snacks with me all the time.

[00:03:56] Jenny Swisher: And oftentimes I’ll even use them before a workout if meals aren’t readily available. Two eggs is around 12 grams of protein. Most beef sticks are around 10 grams and triple boost is an amazing 20 grams in just one scoop. So it’s super simple, super effective. Other ideas might include protein balls that you make up on the weekend.

[00:04:16] Jenny Swisher: My good friend, Jen Delvo has an amazing recipe that I will link up for you in the show notes as well. Or even Greek yogurts, if you tolerate dairy okay, or oats with some nut butter, even just a few bites can help your body feel safe and fueled with energy, leading to regulated blood sugar and preventing extra stressors to the body.

[00:04:33] Jenny Swisher: Remember, especially for those women who might be exercising early in the morning, cortisol spikes in the morning, as it should, right? If you’re, if you have healthy cortisol levels and a healthy diurnal pattern, cortisol is highest in the morning, within 30 minutes of waking. So, if we head into morning workouts fasted with low blood sugar and our cortisol is naturally high and we’re lacking energy from the get go, this will spike our cortisol even higher, deplete our blood sugar even more, and therefore put our bodies into a fight or flight state.

[00:05:01] Jenny Swisher: The body must feel safe in order to lose the weight and shift body composition. This is rule number one for female physiology, yet many of us believe that we can sort of work our bodies into submission by eating less and exercising harder. That’s backwards. We have to work smarter, not harder. And that includes proper fueling.

[00:05:21] Jenny Swisher: As for post workout fuel, BCAAs are the key, as I said, and getting that solid amount of protein as we discussed. Pairing a simple carb with this, like an apple or a cup of berries, is also a great way to refuel after a workout. Dr. Stacey Sims has said that missing your post workout fueling window is equal to under fueling in calories as a whole, which can lead to that LEA Low energy availability state.

[00:05:44] Jenny Swisher: Now I do have other podcasts on the topic of proper fueling for women that I’ll link up for you. But my friends, it is so crucial that we pay attention to the ways that we fuel our bodies. Often when women ask me for ideas on what to eat before a workout, they’ll say things like, well, I’m afraid I’m going to vomit if I eat beforehand, or I don’t have enough time to eat before I work out.

[00:06:04] Jenny Swisher: When women know the why, they will apply. And the reality is that the body will perform for you in a workout much better if it is properly fueled. And body composition changes are more likely to take place if the body feels safe and fueled. So let me also be clear in saying that eating a meal within 30 to 90 minutes of exercise is often adequate.

[00:06:25] Jenny Swisher: Don’t feel like you have to cram a protein bar or a snack down your throat before you work out in that type of situation. Fasted workouts are usually those done in the morning. or several hours after food of any kind, and that is what we’re trying to avoid.

[00:06:38] Jenny Swisher: So my question for you is this, what is your metabolic health worth to you? If you could improve it by making small changes like fueling before a workout, would it be worth it? I hope so. Interesting story, when I owned my gym back in 2016, 2017, I would teach boot camp classes early in the morning. My alarm would be set for 4.

[00:06:58] Jenny Swisher: 15 in the morning when I would trek to the gym, and I would leave there by 6am before most people had even awakened for the day. I rarely made time for pre workout fuel, and I would eat breakfast once I got home around 7am. But as it turns out, in 2017, after about 3 4 years of doing this, my cortisol was bottomed out.

[00:07:15] Jenny Swisher: I was dealing with hypoglycemic episodes, especially in the mornings, I was under fueling in general, and I was turning my body into a fight or flight disaster as a result. Eventually, it even disrupted my menstrual cycle. Making the choice to fuel before my workouts was a game changer for me. Even though I wasn’t hungry, even though it may be nauseous at first, even though it wasn’t what I wanted to do.

[00:07:37] Jenny Swisher: But as a result, I’ve been able to restore my adrenals and train smarter versus harder. My metabolic health is better than ever. Pre workout fueling is paramount for performance, but also for metabolic health. We want our bodies to feel safe so that they will perform for us and ultimately reach maximum energy in doing so.

[00:07:56] Jenny Swisher: Making this small change can be the game changer you’re looking for, for your energy,

[00:08:03] Jenny Swisher: Thank you so much for tuning in, my friends. As always, as we head into the new year, please know I’m here for you. I’m rooting for you and I want you to feel your absolute best. You deserve to. Until next time, we’ll talk soon. Bye bye.