From birth to death, the only thing you can keep by yourself is your health. And the most important thing you can do for your health is to do exercise. Whether you go to the gym or do it on your own, half an hour to one hour, you should definitely give it to your body. From keeping you fresh the whole day to lift up your mood. From reducing the risks of some chronic diseases to improve your sleep issues. The benefits of exercises keep its range covering from solving the most basic issues to solving the chronic ones.
Let’s now come to the cardio exercises. Cardio exercises, also known as aerobic exercises, are the exercises that help in the pumping of the heart and improves blood circulation, which keeps all the body parts oxygenated. Along with improving fitness, cardio is also believed to be a kind of exercise that improves emotional health. It reduces the chances for someone to have any cardiac disease, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, or depression.
If you have done a gym before, you might be knowing that while doing exercise, taking a protein shake is recommended by gym trainers. To compensate for the intensity with which you do exercises, it is believed that you should take a protein shake. It repairs and rebuilds the muscles after workouts.
Should I drink protein shake when doing cardio?
It is quite a popular belief among the common people that protein shake builds muscles, and cardio isn’t proven to be much effective for muscles’ growth. Another misconception that people hold regarding this is that cardio is used to lose weight, but protein shake can again add to your body’s fat content. Well, now we know that there are several perceptions that people have made and several misconceptions that continue to exist among them.
- Importance of protein shake
When you do intense cardio workouts in order to push the limits of your body, it undergoes a lot of changes. Be it physical changes like muscle power enhancement or fat loss. Your body is compelled to adapt to all the adverse conditions. When you do so much to your body, don’t you think it might also need some supplements to compensate and uphold the changes taking place in your body? That’s where protein shake comes into play, and it is required to take protein shake the person who is doing cardio exercise. The body requires it when you conclude your workout.
Protein shake cardio weight loss is a thing that is really helpful. Some proteins can really help a lot in order to serve with the exact purpose that your body looks for. These are fast-absorbing, high-quality proteins (e.g. Whey Protein Isolate, found in many quality protein powders) and high GI carbohydrates (e.g. Dextrose). Supplements like vitamin c/e (antioxidants), l-glutamine (immune support), free-form BCAA’s (branched-chain amino acids) can also be used in a protein shake after intense cardio. So, ultimately it is required to take protein shake the person who is doing cardio exercise.
- When to consume the protein shake?
Another thing that keeps lingering in people’s minds is whether to take protein shake before or after cardio. It’s a constantly debated and yet unsolved topic of research that if protein shakes before or after cardio. Some people believe that before a workout is ideal for taking a protein shake while others argue that taking it after a workout is more beneficial. Let’s look into a concept called “Anabolic Window”. This refers to 30 minutes just after your workout when your body acts like a sponge for all the nutrients you provide to it.
Consuming protein at this time may result in the best for your requirements. Some people believe that giving nutrients to your body before going for a workout helps your body adapt to the extreme conditions you put your body into. Interestingly, a study in which 21 men were divided into two groups was given protein before and after workouts, respectively, for 10 weeks. Surprisingly the results showed that it makes no difference. Yes! You can take a protein shake before or after workouts; it’s totally upon you. So if you were stuck in this debate, then congratulations, you have conquered it successfully!
How much protein do I need after cardio workout?
The question is how much protein you need after a workout, its answers depending upon the intensity of the cardio exercise that you do. Some health freaks believe that doing an intense workout every day can only keep their body in the desired shape. Others believe that doing a light cardio workout is enough to keep them and their bodies satisfied and sane. Well, it is described in different studies that if you are doing light cardio workouts, then you need 1 gram of protein for every 1-2 grams of carbs that you eat. You can aim to get 10 to 15 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbohydrates, and 150 to 250 calories. Here you can have packs of nutrients listed:
- Greek yogurt.
- 5 to 10 crackers and string cheese
- Peanut butter toast
- Nuts and dry fruits(about ¼ cup)
- An apple and 2 tbsp of peanut butter.
While if you are among the ones who like to do intense and heavy workout for bodybuilding, the case is a bit different for you. In this case, the ratio of carbohydrate to protein bumps up to 3 is to 1, and sometimes even 4 is to 1. The snacks mentioned above won’t be enough for you, and you need to make complete meals in order to match with your workouts. You can aim for about 15 to 30 grams of protein, 30 to 90 grams of carbohydrates, and 250 to 350 calories. Here are some of the meals listed for you:
- Banana Sandwich
- ½ turkey wrap with veggies
- Peanut butter and tomato with pita bread
- Reduced-fat cheese crackers with fresh fruit
- Fruit smoothie
We hope that this answers most of your queries regarding cardio workouts, protein shakes, and when and how you can optimize your workouts. We wish you 24 hours of fitness and awesome workout sessions with awesome protein diets.
