It’s a beautiful thing. Your body is a super-powered machine designed to convert food (aka calories) into potent kinetic energy, feeding that powerful squat or sprint with every bite. Of course, not all calories are created equal and there’s true science behind what your body needs before and after you workout. Not surprisingly, your system runs on different types of fuel for different needs. Timing is also a big factor and knowing when to get your nutrition in both pre and post workouts are critical to your optimum performance and recovery. If you don’t eat enough of the right types of macro nutrients at the right time, you can actually ‘undo’ the beneficial effects of the workout before you ever get started. So, before you got hot and heavy into your fitness regimen, keep these guidelines in mind:

– Timing is everything. Enjoy a balanced macro nutrient meal around 2 ½-3 hours prior to exercise in order to allow for digestion. Combine...

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the topic of eating healthy and taking vitamins and supplements. Both have their benefits, but it’s important to understand which is better for you. There are two basic approaches you can take to lead a healthy lifestyle: You can either eat healthily, or you can take vitamins and supplements. Both have their pros and cons.

1. Good Eating vs. Supplements

Eating healthy comprises the bulk of living a healthy lifestyle. It consists of all the meals you eat over the course of a day and should include a balance of complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. In addition to eating healthy food, it’s important to keep your diet as varied as possible.

While eating healthy may seem like a difficult task, it’s not as hard as you might think. Most of us tend to stick to a few specific foods each day, and when we find something we like, it’s easy to become complacent with that meal.

To avoid this, try eating a different...