The Importance of Carbohydrates

After attending a very busy and informative weekend at the Australia wide Fitness industry convention in Sydney, it is only fair that I share some of the knowledge I have obtained with our loyal members at Lifestyle Improvers.

One of the lectures I attended was presented by well known Nutritionist Susie Burrell who has a very high profile in Australia and regularly appears on commercial TV to share her knowledge on Nutrition.

With so many different diets available to the general public, it sometimes becomes difficult to determine what we should and should not be eating, and when we should and should not be eating. One common perception particularly in the fitness/weight loss industry is to limit or eliminate carbohydrate intake in the evenings.

As Susie explained, many people who exercise first thing in the morning will starve themselves of carbohydrates the evening before thinking that if the body has little or no carbohydrates available then it will burn fat instead. This perception is in fact incorrect and in fact the metabolic pathway that sees fat being broken down and utilized as a fuel source, actually works better if some glucose (carbohydrates) are still available within the body.

This not only means that when you train you will more likely burn fat, but also be able to train harder and longer as a result. This also does not mean you should be demolishing massive bowls of pasta the night before your workout, but a small amount of carbohydrates (10-20g) which can be as simple as a half a glass of low fat milk or a couple of crackers.

So why not give it a try and see if it works for you?