How and why to consume carbohydrates - before, during and after physical exercise?
Carbohydrate consumption during exercise delays fatigue and improves performance in any type of exercise, whether long-lasting or short with high intensity.
In long-term exercise, performance increases due to the increase in plasma glucose concentration and the maintenance of high levels of carbohydrate oxidation. In short-term, higher-intensity exercises, carbohydrate consumption positively affects our central nervous system.
The lack of carbohydrates during training forces your body to use fat and/or protein. Furthermore, the lack of glycogen lowers metabolism, which leads to stabilization and weight/fat gain.
In short, yes, with guidance and done correctly, it is good to train your body to use fat as a source of energy, but in low-intensity, short-duration exercises a few times a week.
The idea is to always have quality carbohydrate options on hand: palatinose, glucose, fructose, malto dextrose are all excellent options, but with different effectiveness in terms of absorption. Z2 has this and much more.
When it comes to nutrition, the name of the game is planning. As a rule of thumb, an athlete should ideally try to consume at least 60g of carbohydrates per hour. The absorption of carbohydrates differs depending on the carbohydrate, which is why the Z2 composition is ideal, always look for something with variety and quantity of carbohydrates.
Therefore, planning must always follow a (simplified) rationale like this:
45min of training.
- Carbohydrate already consumed before training in your diet or consume a Z2 15 minutes before. (50-100g) & Hydrate
- Intra-workout carbohydrate (1 Z2) & Hydrate
- Carbohydrate + Protein post workout & Hydrate
The composition of the Z2 was designed to be more liquid and not have that stuck mouth sensation that common gels tend to give, but this does not mean that there is enough liquid in the Z2 to replace a good glass/bottle of water.
To make your life easier, we put together a calculator based on your sport, effort, sweat rate and duration. It was easy, huh: https://www.z2foods.com/pages/formulario-nutricao
If you are going to do a workout that lasts more than an hour, think about consuming a Z2 every 2 5/45 minutes.
Finally, it is worth remembering that we are being very generalists and that this basic plan should never replace a nutritionist (we are a company of nutritionists, athletes and sports doctors).