There are many myths regarding training and its link to diet. Several people wonder if after exercising they can eat whatever they want , based on the theory that they have already made the effort in the gym and deserve an ice cream, a hamburger or a chocolate. We will tell you more in this article.

Exercise and feeding: a close relationship

There is a belief that indicates that after exercising we can eat anything. While there are people whose metabolism “accepts” these licenses, in others it is not advisable to go to tapas or a bar after sports.

Beyond what should be controlled what you eat (exercising or not) and that excesses of food are never good, the question about the permission to eat is valid if you have already trained.

It is important then, to talk about calories burned and consumed. Of course, everything depends on the objective we want to achieve, but for example if our intention is to lose weight, the balance of the former should be higher than that of the latter. In contrast, to build muscle or gain weight the equation is inverse.

The amount of calories eliminated with exercise or daily activities are not the same for all people, since it depends on different factors such as age, sex, physical build, genetics, accumulated fat, etc.

Exercise and “allowed”

If we exercise regularly we can have a “allowed” from time to time , because that would not affect the weight or make us return to the starting point. That is to say, that a chocolate, an ice cream or a portion of pizza every so often will not increase the kilos that you have already managed to reduce.

However, many take advantage of the excuse of training to give themselves certain luxuries in terms of food. The idea is the following: “I already made an hour of bicycle, tape and elliptical … then, now I can go for drinks with my friends”. If that happens once or twice a month, there’s no problem. But if it is a daily thought, the training program that you do will never be able to compensate all those excesses and instead of losing weight you will get fat.

So is. You can gain weight even going to the gym daily. It is true that in those cases the kilos gain will be less than if you do not do physical activity, you will not get results and what is worse you will give up the exercise thinking that it does not take effect.

In order to eat what you want, you should do a much more demanding routine. And not even that will save you from weight gain because the body needs good quality energy to perform its activities and perform accordingly. Also, we can not spend all day in the gym to burn the calories from the previous day’s dinner.

The case of professional athletes is paradigmatic. They eat a lot of protein and maybe have three plates of pasta, eat 3 bananas and 2 eggs or, in the middle of a game, eat a cereal bar. Why? Because during training or competition burn many calories and spend too much energy.

Exercise and appetite

Then, when leaving the gym or returning home after running through the park we are not allowed to eat a packet of chips or a full burger. It is essential to know our body and our metabolism to choose those foods that help us recover and avoid the voracious appetite that attacks us after exercise.

When training is over it is normal to feel hungry. The body has spent a lot of energy and burned several calories . It is needed fuel as it is with the car. Now, what kind of gasoline will we offer? We can choose a low quality one that in the short or medium term will break the engine, or one of excellent characteristics that will allow you to travel more distance and not suffer wear.

If we choose the first option it is normal to opt for junk food, sweets and fried foods. In contrast, for the second alternative we have available fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes , whole grains, skimmed milk … In this way, the body can recover in a healthy way and you can achieve your goals.

Myths about exercise

In addition to the question about permission to eat anything after sports there are other myths related to exercise that are worth knowing.

1. Previous stretching improves performance

Actually stretching before exercising prevents us from getting injured if the muscles or tendons are “cold”. But it has no relation to performance.

2. When you stop training what was muscle becomes fat

If you do not go to the gym anymore you will lose muscle mass and your metabolism will slow down. Over time you can gain weight, but in no time the muscles will become fat because they are two different types of tissue.

3. If the scale shows more kilos is that you are getting fat

This may seem obvious, but it is not so. In reality, everything depends on our objective and the type of training we do. Fats and muscles do not have the same density . Therefore, if you weigh the same or more, it may be because you have burned the fat and you have increased the muscles.