What are the biggest determinants impeding a trim waist and toned muscles? Are carbs evil? Is it ever ok to eat a donut? Where do you even start with fixing a diet?
No.
Yes.
With mental fortitude.
Carbohydrates are energy for the body, that’s their purpose. Not all carbs are equal and circumstance dictates how those carbs are processed. The glycemic load of the carb is a major contributor to its reasonability to enter your diet. Glycemic index / load indicate how quickly your body can utilize the energy from digestion to small intestine, liver and then blood stream through glucose.
A donut is fast, and if your body’s blood sugar levels or reserves aren’t low in the moment, insulin will intervene to save that energy for later as fat, otherwise the excess energy will harm nerve endings.
The reserve is the important factor here. If you run hill sprints for 15 minutes at 80%+ heart rate, you’re utilizing glycolysis and you’ll dip into those reserves. This means if you ate a donut after or during hill sprints, the body first needs to replenish those reserves, avoiding insulin storing the sugar as fat for later.
This means timing is critical for certain types of carbohydrates if you engage with HIIT. The Central Nervous System needs time to repair after heavy elevated heart sessions, though, and you’ll need to alternate days.
Carbohydrates also serve to prevent excess catabolism, which occurs after a session and is the breakdown of muscle tissue. Some is good, but too much and a shortened anabolic phase will hinder your hypertrophy. Carbs before and after a resistance training workout are essential to grow, just stick with low to moderate glycemic loads. Sweet potatoes and rice are my go to (sweet potato before, rice after) for carbs.
Diets need to support a lifestyle and fixing bad habits and emotional eating honestly fall more into the therapy realm than anything else. Support, accountability, and paying money to stay on the train frankly prevent a lot of slippage. If you need that, contact Arthur, the manager and lead trainer of Poulsbo Snap Fitness at (360)-994-9859.
Want to be our next guest blogger? We only allow our LWK business members to guest write our blogs. Want to know more? Contact Lesli at lesli@livewellkitsap.com. We’d love to have you educate us, share your expertise in your field and tell us some stories to help us all Live Well!