What is the ideal diet plan for your cardio workout?

To many, a work is a mere process of hitting the gym five times a week for an hour daily, just to get fit. But a fit and healthy living comprises of more than pumping iron or sweating it out under a strict workout plan. You will also need to consider your refueling requirements, better known as your diet plan. 

No doubt, a diet for all, will seem like generic and yet simple enough to follow. Protein may be your aim, carbs a sin, with fruits and vegetables squeezed in through a five-day plan. You may include sugar indulgences or saturated fats on your cheat days just to keep that temptation of indulgence away. 

But any exercise regime for a cardio workout will follow is variable with the diet you will need to follow in order to fuel of up on nutrients and body mass. In other words, your dietary regimen will require a tailored plan to match your workout. Here is how you can get it right. 

While other diets will force you to gear carbs, a cardio diet will help you embrace them. No doubt, a runner, spinner or bodybuilding diet will focus on quality carbs, such as wholegrain. Such a diet will also include an intake in carbohydrates, especially on moderate or high intensity training days. On easy training days, protein enrichment should be your preference. For your pre workout diet, whole wheat pasta is the best solution as it helps your body fill up on fiber as well as vitamin B which is crucial for energy metabolism. 

Alternatively, you can include bananas which is rich in potassium, thus preventing the possibility of muscle cramps, or even oatmeal or sweet potato, which helps in releasing a slow sustainable energy. Ensure that your pre - workout meal is consumed an hour before workout to provide you with the necessary fuel to burn.

Like your pre - workout, your post – work out meal must also be consumed an hour after your workout. A runner or bodybuilding diet plan for men especially, should include protein and carbohydrates that focus on muscle repair and replenishing energy. You can include restriction in meat such as chicken and yoghurt, to help regulate fat burning and improvement in bone density. 

On an overall, whether you are following a runners, spinners or bodybuilding diet, you will also need to avoid certain items. Foods items rich in fibre, spices, caffeine and other products that affect sugar alcohols, glycerol and insulin levels. A runner or bodybuilding diet plan for men especially must exclude empty carbs such as white breads, pasta and rice, as they merely get converted into sugar, which provides an instant boost of energy, thus leading to a quck crash on your system.