STOCKSY“IT’S NOT COMFORTABLE
when hunger pangs get in the way of
a workout, but perhaps it’s your
eating habits that need to change and
not your exercise routine”, says
Bonnie Taub-Dix, creator of
betterthandieting.com and author of
Read It Before You Eat It.
What you eat plays a crucial role
in ensuring you have a good workout.
“Food provides fuel to give you
strength, so it’s important to make
sure you eat wisely before you hit the
gym”, Taub-Dix says. Have a small
snack of about 150 calories about a
half-hour before exercise, with a
combo of carbs, protein, and healthy
fat. Think: almond butter on a slice of
whole-grain bread, a small piece of
cheese with whole-grain crackers, or
a Greek yoghurt sprinkled with
whole-grain cereal. And make sure
you’re drinking plenty of water to
prevent dehydration and to help you
feel more satiated.SHOULD I WEAR A WEIGHT
BELT FOR DEADLIFTS,
AND IF SO, WHEN?A weight belt can help reduce
the stress on your spine whenI always get hungry
during my workouts.
What’s the best way
to keep my stomach
from growling?you’re lifting weights. You may
see a lot of people at your
gym wearing the belts, but if
you’re just starting to lift heavy
weights, hold o before cinching
one around your waist. “Spend
your fi rst couple of months
learning how to do the deadlift
without a belt. This will help you
gain awareness of how to brace
your core without assistance”,
explains Sean Collins, head
powerlifting coach and
co-owner of Murder of CrowsBarbell Club in Brooklyn, New
York, USA. “To brace e ectively,
take a deep breath into your
belly, not your lungs, as if you’re
fi lling your stomach with as
much air as you can. Hold that
breath, and then begin the lift,
leading with the chest
throughout the range of
motion.”
Many people think the belt
helps support your back due
to adding extra padding,but that’s not quite right.
“Belts are best used when you
can increase the amount of
intra-abdominal pressure by
expanding the core area with a
deeply held breath”, Collins says.
“This, in turn, helps protect the
lower back.” Start using a belt
only after this bracing movement
feels second-nature and you’ve
worked up to a weight that
seems challenging by the last
rep of your working set.HEALTH ASK THE EXPERTS36 | M&F HERS | JUL/AUG 2019