The Right Food for the Right Result

As everyone knows, Taekwon-Do training is a high intensity workout and I'm certain all Taekwon-Do students want to maximise the results from training. An important component of maximising these results is fueling the body with the right foods prior to and post training.

Meals Prior to your Taekwon-Do Class Research shows that eating a moderate to high carbohydrate meal that includes protein approximately three hours before your Taekwon-Do class will prepare you to get the best results from your workout.

Some examples of a good prior Taekwon-Do class meal include whole-meal toast with peanut butter and banana, non-fat Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese with fruit, or dried fruit and almonds.

Meals After your Taekwon-Do Class

After your Taekwon-Do class, it is important to replace your body's energy stores also called glycogen. Glycogen is the main way your body stores glucose for later use. Most of the carbohydrate eaten end up as glucose. Therefore, it's important to be storing some glucose to control blood sugar levels and provide glucose to the parts of the body that need it.

The other important issues for post Taekwon-Do workout recovery is to repair the muscles that have been broken down during training. Research shows that eating within 30 minutes of finishing your Taekwon-Do class is the best way to replace energy stores and commence the repair of muscle. Again, a combination of carbohydrates and protein is a good mix for post class meal.

Some examples of a good post Taekwon-Do class meal include whole-grain cereal with fruit and soy milk, whole-wheat crackers with fruit and cheese, or hummus with pita bread.