Men’s metabolism can take anywhere between 3-18 hours to return to normal after exercise.
Women’s metabolism returns to normal in 90 minutes or less.
Men can get away with delaying the post-exercise meal for hours without it substantially impacting our progress. Women can’t.
As a woman, you need food before and after exercise to make the most out of your workout. Otherwise, your body will stay in a stressed, sympathetic state, focusing on survival instead of adapting to the training stimulus.
Plus, if you’re trying to lose fat, that post-workout meal will signal the body, “Hey, the bar’s open. You don’t have to hang on the stored energy for survival”.
What to eat?
Aim for a small snack with protein and carbohydrates 30-60 minutes before your workout.
After the workout, eat around 25-30 grams of protein and some carbs to kick your body off the stressed state.
-J