Saturday 13 January 2007

And rest...

I feel great. I always feel good when I do something I said I'd do.

I have just come back from my walk. I wasn't out for the whole time since my last post, but I was out for about 3/4 of an hour. I power walked down to the library and got some recycling bags. I also got my watch fixed having broken it about five months ago while camping. All of this was done while trying to keep my heart rate up, so wherever I walked, I did it quickly.

Now I'm back home having some water, and I'm about to have something to eat. It is lunchtime after all!

Having mentioned the benefits of water in my last post, I am now going to mention a bit about the food side of exercising. If you find yourself getting more and more into exercise, you should begin thinking about what you eat and when. When you exercise, even going for a brisk walk, you burn calories, and lose moisture. When you return home from exercising, your body will tell you it needs food and now! It will also tell you that the best thing for it is yummy sugary or fatty foods. Avoid eating fatty foods and simple carbohydrate* foods (sugary foods). Instead, try and feed your body a bit of complex carbohydrate* (potato, bread, pasta) and perhaps a bit of protein (chicken, fish, lean meat). After light exercise, the best thing you can do for your body is have a tuna sandwich (easy on the mayonnaise, add lettuce if you have it), washed down with about a litre of water. Simple, easy to make, and good for you.

Now where did I put that mars bar... :-)

*The main difference between simple and complex carbohydrates is the speed they are absorbed into the body. Simple carbs (chocolate, sugary drinks) are a quick fix; you feel good quickly, but will lose that feeling equally quickly. Complex carbs (potato, pasta, bread) release their energy steadily and slowly; keeping you energised for longer and you don't have a come-down like that of simple carbs.

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