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What Constitutes a 'Workout'?


swainy_26

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Hi all,

 

Hoping this topic hasn't already been covered somewhere but I am about to begin my very first W30 on the 1st of August and I understand the whole Pre-Workout & Post-Workout Meal ideas, (I plan to have a boiled egg as pre & tuna or chicken breast as post) but I am just wondering what constitutes having these extra meals.

 

For example at the moment I do a 30-40 min resistance workout on Mon, Wed & Fri, on Tue & Thu I do a 45 min moderate walk (burning about 300 cal according to my HRM) and on a Saturday for a 5km run.

 

Would it only be acceptable for me, following the W30 program, to have these extra meals on the days doing the resistance training or running rather than the walking days - should I only stick to my 3 meals a day when i do a walk?

 

Currently on days of high intensity I have a Banana and a Herbalife Pre-Workout beforehand and Herbalife Protein Smoothie followed be breakfast and days of walking I do the same but omit the Pre-Workout drink.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

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Hi, not an expert so looking forward to hearing what advice you get, but this is what I've been doing so far, too: only having pre/post workout meals (coconut oil or egg yolks before + egg whites or chicken after) for strength training, nothing extra for my easy runs/jogs (similar to your walk), and seems to be working OK for me. I guess if you feel tired or hungry afterwards that's probably a sign to eat more post-exercise.

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I go by how hungry I am, to tell you the truth. If I do just a short run (indiviual decision what you would consider a short run, but for me it is 2-5 km) I just divide my regular breakfast so that instead of eating all  eggs at once, I eat one of them before and the rest of the eggs and veggies after. If I run longer or workout harder I will add in extra food until I feel that I am not hungry during the day.

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The idea of eating "bonus" meals only on days you do resistance training or a 5K is sound. I typically eat a post-workout meal only on strength training days. I do not eat a post-workout meal after yoga, hot yoga, a long walk, or a run. If I were running in a serious way - racing, intervals, hill repeats, etc. - I might treat it like strength training, but not ordinary running. 

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As an add-on question....can someone estimate the amount of exercise you can do for it not to be considered a workout? Hmm, that sounds convoluded. Sorry, I'm flustered today.

 

I am in pretty poor physical shape right now, and the last thing I want to do is to eat as if I'm working out when the "workout" just isn't enough to trigger anything other than my regular meals.

 

For example, things I do that I am not sure are workouts:

 

-Try to go for a "long run", but make it 15 minutes before my knee hurts and I walk it back (I'm thinking not)

-A two-hour (8 mile) walk. It's vigorous, but it's still a walk.

 

I just got a bicycle and am going to try to work up to riding to the office (far away and hilly), but if I'm taking it out for a spin after work, how long do I have to be on it for it to actually be a "workout" for these purposes?

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As an add-on question....can someone estimate the amount of exercise you can do for it not to be considered a workout? Hmm, that sounds convoluded. Sorry, I'm flustered today.

 

I am in pretty poor physical shape right now, and the last thing I want to do is to eat as if I'm working out when the "workout" just isn't enough to trigger anything other than my regular meals.

 

For example, things I do that I am not sure are workouts:

 

-Try to go for a "long run", but make it 15 minutes before my knee hurts and I walk it back (I'm thinking not)

-A two-hour (8 mile) walk. It's vigorous, but it's still a walk.

 

I just got a bicycle and am going to try to work up to riding to the office (far away and hilly), but if I'm taking it out for a spin after work, how long do I have to be on it for it to actually be a "workout" for these purposes?

 

This might require some self experimentation. If you feel like your 3 template meals are sustaining you for your activity levels then stick with that. If you are feeling low energy and over hungry then try the pre and post workout. There is no blanket right answer for everyone as we are all individual snowflakes. 

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Glad I found this. I think Physibeth's statement of, if 3 meals sustains ... is what I needed to know. I play hockey, goal and skate up, up to 3 times a week, and am walking as energy allows, week 1 and its energy challenges. I get sick if I eat less than an hour before starting to kit up for hockey (especially on netminder days) or if I eat within an hour of completeling the game...and by sick I mean SICK. I feel fine just eating 3 meals, and play at night and I don't like eating late at night anyway. If I feel fine, and am not hungry, is it an issue to not have a pre/post workout meal? I am looking into paleo pace as an after if I do feel hungry, which is not normal for me.

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Glad I found this. I think Physibeth's statement of, if 3 meals sustains ... is what I needed to know. I play hockey, goal and skate up, up to 3 times a week, and am walking as energy allows, week 1 and its energy challenges. I get sick if I eat less than an hour before starting to kit up for hockey (especially on netminder days) or if I eat within an hour of completeling the game...and by sick I mean SICK. I feel fine just eating 3 meals, and play at night and I don't like eating late at night anyway. If I feel fine, and am not hungry, is it an issue to not have a pre/post workout meal? I am looking into paleo pace as an after if I do feel hungry, which is not normal for me.

 

This might be better answered by someone that plays hockey. Your situation though to me looks different than that of the poster I responded to above. My gut feeling is that the hockey might be enough of a workout to require some post workout food but hard to know. Everyone's context is so different. It can't hurt to try a little post workout lean protein and starchy vegetable for a few of those hockey workouts and see how if it helps. I know my context requires at the bare minimum the post workout protein. When I don't have it I am much more sore the next day. 

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