Fuel for Your Work-outs

Most of us who exercise regularly don't need a lot of extra "fuel" to keep us going if we are getting regular healthy meals and a couple small (about 100 calories) healthy snacks during the day. And that's because most of us exercise for less than an hour at a moderate rate of intensity. So for us, a bottle of water to sip on is about all we need.

You can't read about exercising, however, with out seeing ads for "energy bars" and you might wonder if this is something you need. So I thought I would do a little investigating to clear up this mystery for you:

Before hitting the gym or starting a long run, your body needs carbohydrates. It is best to avoid protein, fat, fiber and sugar alcohols, all of which can delay the emptying time of the stomach and slow digestion, causing cramps and sluggish energy levels. Energy bars are usually too high in protein, fat, fiber, and possibly sugar alcohols to be used for pre-exercise nourishment. Instead, try another carbohydrate-rich food.
During an brief aerobic workout, energy bars are not an a great refueling choice because aerobic and high-intensity exercises require blood flow to the muscles, not to the stomach for the digestion of foods. But after exercising for more than 60-90 minutes, you might want to consider a sports drink or sports gel to boost your energy levels, promote hydration, and balance electrolytes in the body.

Energy bars may work for low-intensity, very long-duration activities such as a long, slow hike or bike ride., or slow-speed marathon training (During lower-intensity exercise, less blood is diverted to the muscles.)

After your exercise session, your body needs mostly carbohydrates (to replenish glycogen stores in the muscles), some protein (to help repair damaged muscle tissue), and a little fat (for cellular repair). Eating a "real" and complete meal is your best bet. But if you cannot eat a meal within two hours working out, then an energy bar paired with a glass of water and a piece of fruit is a good option. Look for a meal replacement bar ( with at least 30 grams of carbohydrate, 10 grams (or more) of protein, and 5-10 gram of fat. (This information is courtesy of Sparkpeople.com)

I often tell my exercise partner, who favors Powerbars, that he might as well eat a Snickers - which would be my personal energy bar of choice.  So I looked for some comparison information which you might like to to read too:

Snickers vs Energy Bars

Lesson learned: as with an food choice, it is always best to read the label! Then you can make in informed decision.

Final recommendation from Sparkpeople on fueling your workouts:

Don't ever feel that you have to rely on energy bars to meet your calorie and nutritional needs. These snack ideas provide energy, nutrition and flavor in a convenient, budget-friendly package:

Fresh fruits: apples, oranges, pears, plums, grapes, bananas Individually packaged fruit and applesauce

Yogurt or string cheese

Whole grain crackers (plain or with cheese or peanut butter)

Bagels and muffins

Homemade trail mix

Granola bars
Carton of milk or juice

Graham crackers

Sitting: Is it the New Smoking?

That was a cover headline on an AARP Bulletin earlier this year.

And the evidence is mounting that being sedentary - literally sitting too much - is just as hazardous to your health and longevity as smoking or other unhealthy activity. Naturally it's a catchy headline that makes people look twice -- and hopefully, think twice-- because many of us who don't smoke and incorporate other healthy habits like drinking water and eating low-fat, low-sugar foods think we are pretty well doing enough -- even though we fail to get regular physical activity most days. Most of us say and think we are "too busy" to be active.

There has been a world-wide shift toward less physically demanding work, we depend on cars to take us around the block, we bus our children to school even when they live less than a mile from the door, we have many labor saving devices in our homes ( hello, remote control!) and we all amass more screen time than ever before - at work, at home. The result is that 60% of the world's population gets insufficient physical activity every single day. Sadly our children are leading this same lifestyle at an even earlier age: enjoying less active playtime both at school and at home.

Diabetes, obesity, cancer and early death are now linked to sitting for prolonged periods of time.

If you work in an office, or drive for a living, or find yourself sitting for many hours of the day, do your body a favor and get up after every hour and move around for at least three minutes. Set a timer if you must.



Posts to this blog have focused largely on food choices as a way to control overweight because it is true that you can make a quick, significant difference in your weight by changing the kind and amount of food you eat. But you can  profoundly change the way you look and feel and the way your body metabolizes food by moving more- and more often throughout the day!

Wherever you are as you are reading this, I encourage you to commit to moving at least 20 minutes more each day - and a good way to keep that commitment is to make it public.  Davis Health System is kicking off its annual 100 Miles in 100 Days campaign - please join hundreds of your neighbors as they begin the journey of 100 miles (and more) with their first mile - about 20 minutes - of walking (or jogging, swimming, biking, or exercise class) - on May 27. Register and find out more at http://www.dhs100miles.com/.