What Should I Eat Before and After My Workout? 

Written by Charlotte Hargrave, RD 

You can log every mile, lift every rep, and still leave performance on the table if your nutrition strategy is an after-thought. Food is fuel—and when and what you eat can boost energy, sharpen focus, and speed recovery. 

Pre-Workout: Carbs Are Your Turbo Boost 

During exercise, your muscles burn through glycogen (stored carbohydrate) first. Studies show that a 60-minute, moderate-intensity session can drain 30–40 % of those stores, leading to early fatigue if you don’t top off beforehand.* 

Game-plan: Eat a light, carb-focused snack 30–60 minutes before you move. Aim for 15–30 g of easily digested carbs—enough to raise blood-glucose without weighing you down. 

Quick-hit ideas (≈ 25 g carbs each): 

Snack Carbs (g) Bonus Nutrients 
Banana + 1 Tbsp almond butter 27 Potassium & healthy fats 
½ cup oatmeal + ¼ cup berries 29 Fiber & antioxidants 
PB on whole-grain half-slice 22 B-vitamins for energy metabolism 
¾ cup Greek yogurt + fruit 20 8 g protein for satiety 
¼ cup trail mix (nuts & raisins) 24 Iron & magnesium 

Post-Workout: The Repair Crew 

Intense exercise creates tiny micro-tears in muscle. Consuming 20–30 g of high-quality protein plus 30–60 g of carbs within two hours can boost muscle-protein synthesis by up to 50 % and replenish glycogen roughly 40 % faster than delaying your meal.* 

High-impact recovery combos: 

Hydration: Your Unsung Hero 

Even 1–2 % dehydration can cut strength and endurance noticeably. Keep a bottle handy and sip 5–10 oz every 20 minutes of exercise, then replace fluids afterward until urine is pale lemonade-colored. 

Bottom Line 

Smart snacking and steady sipping let you train harder, recover quicker, and get more out of every sweat session. Plan your plate like you plan your workout—and watch the results stack up! 

*Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; National Academy of Sports Medicine; Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 

Ten Years of Heartfelt Service in the Beach Cities

By: Jason Argent, Executive Volunteer – Writer 

For nearly a decade, Megan Bowers has been a familiar and welcome presence in the Beach Cities Health District volunteer community. From her early days as an Errand Volunteer, to helping out at events and delivering holiday gift bags, to her current role with BCHD’s Communications team in the Drive & Deliver program, Megan has done a little bit of everything, and she’s done it all with a smile. 

Her commitment to volunteering isn’t just strong, it’s lifelong. “It’s just how I was raised,” she says. “You help others. You help your community. You give back.” And that’s exactly what Megan has been doing – consistently, wholeheartedly, and with a true sense of purpose. 

In her current role, Megan helps get the word out. Literally. Through Drive & Deliver, she supports BCHD’s outreach and awareness by distributing promotional materials around the community, helping ensure that residents of all ages and backgrounds know about the programs and resources available to them. 

“Megan is a godsend,” says her supervisor, Mecca Norman. “She’s timely, responsive, responsible, and always willing to say yes. Her updates, communication, and reliability are such a gift to our department. We know we can count on her, and her work is really important to what we do.” 

What’s kept Megan coming back year after year? “The variety,” she says. “Every role has introduced me to new people, new perspectives, and new parts of our community. It’s been amazing to see just how many different ways people experience life in the Beach Cities, and how BCHD supports all of them.” 

Megan is quick to note that BCHD itself is a gem, something she believes more people need to know about. “It’s such an incredible resource,” she says. “I don’t think most people realize just how much BCHD truly does for the community. The range of programs and support they offer is remarkable.” 

Whether she’s handing out flyers, delivering gifts, or simply offering her time and energy wherever needed, Megan embodies the spirit of community service. Her story is a reminder that showing up, again and again, can make a real and lasting difference. 

Thank you, Megan, for all you do! 

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month

We are incredibly grateful to the more than 1,500 volunteers who dedicated over 25,000 hours—equivalent to more than $1 million in time and service—this past fiscal year. Your support has been instrumental in advancing Beach Cities Health District’s (BCHD) health priorities, specifically in mental health and substance abuse, as well as physical health. Thanks to your efforts, we are able to assist even more people Beach Cities residents in a variety of ways! National Volunteer Appreciation Week is Sunday, April 20 – Saturday, April 26!  Check out our social pages on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn as we shout out and highlight Volunteers and  your incredible contributions. Join us for a Blue Zones approved restaurant social hour (details below) to deepen your social connections with other volunteers while snacking on tasty plant-slant treats.

Finally, read on in this newsletter for details about the volunteer experience and valuable feedback received through the opinion survey that will help shape the program going forward.

To those of you who selflessly serve your community through volunteerism, we THANK YOU! It is a privilege to work with each one of you. Thank you for all your support, we couldn’t do this without you!

Volunteer Impact

Our volunteers have been very busy this past year. Here are just a few accomplishments to celebrate:

The Volunteer Experience

At BCHD, we very much appreciate the help we receive from our volunteers throughout the year. You, too, have shared how your experience giving back to the community has been a benefit:

How Physical Activity Can Help You Stay Mentally Sharp

Though there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, exercise can be an excellent therapeutical tool to prevent dementia by up to 30% with a 45% reduction rate for Alzheimer’s specifically. But what type of exercise works best and is the general recommendation for exercise enough for brain health?

There are three primary exercise modalities that can be broken down into aerobic exercise, resistance training, and neuromotor training. According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s current physical activity guidelines, we need a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. Though this sounds like a daunting task, this can be broken down into 30 minutes 5 days per week. Aerobic exercise seems to improve white-matter integrity, as well as the volume of global gray matter, and a part of the brain called the hippocampus, whose decline is attributed to age-related memory loss. Aerobic exercise also seems to promote what is known as angiogenesis, or the creation of new blood vessels, which is correlated to neurogenesis.

We know how resistance training is great for reducing age-related sarcopenia, improving balance and functional capacity, but lifting weights also seems to benefit the structure and function of the frontal lobe, particularly executive functions. Some researchers seem to deem resistance training as a form of “cognitive training” due to the level of executive functions to perform. The guidelines recommend a minimum of 2 to 3 resistance training days per week for 30 to 60 minutes each session, targeting each major muscle group.

Neuromotor exercise is categorized as a wide variety of motor skills, including balance, coordination, agility, and proprioceptive training. This includes activities that involve skill learning, such as sports, dance, martial arts, and one might even say resistance training or learning kettlebell-specific skills, which require one to be present in the moment. It also includes mind-body exercises such as yoga and Pilates. Since skill-building challenges the brain, neuromotor exercises can improve cognition, the volume of the basal ganglia (the area of the brain affected by Parkinson’s Disease), and the volume of the hippocampus, which is critical to learning and memory.

In order to provide the best bang for your buck brain benefits, exercise programs that one participates in should seek to incorporate a reasonable amount of novelty and cognitively demanding and open-skill exercise modalities, either as structured and programmed exercise or leisurely-based activities.

Contact the Personal Training department at CHF 310-374-3426, Option 3 for more helpful tips. We’re here to help!

Adding Beans to Your Diet

Most Americans know that beans are a healthful food, but how do we incorporate them into our diet?  More than just a meat substitute, beans are so nutritious that the latest dietary guidelines recommend taking our current intake of one cup per week, and increasing it to three cups per week.

Beans can play a role in:

Beans are comparable to meat in terms of calories.  On average, cooked dry beans provide roughly 120 calories per ½ cup, and are full of B vitamins, folic acid, selenium, zinc, low-glycemic carbohydrates and fiber.  Our diets tend to be lacking when it comes to fiber (the average American consumes just 15 grams daily).  One cup of cooked beans (or 2/3 of a can) provides about 12 grams of fiber—nearly half the recommended daily dose of 21-25 grams per day for adult women (30-38 grams for adult men).

Meat, on the other hand contains no fiber at all.  Beans are digested slowly, keeping you satisfied longer.  In addition, beans are low in sugar, which prevents insulin in the bloodstream from spiking and causing hunger.  When you substitute beans for meat in your diet, you get the added bonus of a decrease in saturated fat intake.  Beans are also high in antioxidants and phytochemicals which help prevent cell damage from free radicals in the body.

Try these suggestions for adding beans to your diet:

Interested in learning more about CHF Nutrition Consultations? Contact CHF at 310-374-3426, press option #7 and dial #8148.

Senior Nutritional Health

A healthy diet packed with nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals can help reduce your risks of potential health problems that are common in senior citizens, like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer. In addition, eating healthy will help maintain weight, prevent constipation, and increase energy levels.

Some tips to get you started:

Staying in Shape for Her Grandchildren and Grand Adventure

Why Valerie Gorsuch didn’t take the easy route to Machu Picchu

At 75, Valerie Gorsuch believes she is in the best shape of her life. Admittedly, she’s always been active with walking and running, but it wasn’t until she joined Small Group Training at the Center for Health & Fitness (CHF) last year that she truly felt like she’d built up the stamina, cardio, muscular strength and balance needed to complete the four-day hike to Machu Picchu in Peru.

Valerie holds a standing promise with each of her grandchildren that when they turn 13, she will take them on a world adventure of their choosing. For her grandson Connor’s trip, they both agreed to the Machu Picchu ruins, however, taking the train up wasn’t an option. They desired the full experience of hiking the trail that people had endured since the 1400s.

“Most of the people doing the hike were in their twenties and thirties,” laughed Valerie. “I was the oldest in the group and people were surprised I was doing this at my age.”

Valerie did, however, face some challenges on the excursion. “I started the hike already breathless due to the altitude and it surprised me,” she explained. 

During the hike, Valerie’s guide pulled her aside. “He looked me in the eye and said that he was committed to me,” Valerie remembered. “He guaranteed that I was going to complete this and that he’d be there to provide any help that I might need. Because of his attitude, I wasn’t worried. I too was confident that I could do this.”

The trail itself is no walk in the park. The original stone path is very steep—each step up is about two feet high. Each day consisted of waking up at around 5 a.m. for a full day of hiking, and if you brought more than 12 pounds of luggage, you were responsible for carrying it. Even lugging around a camera and water added difficulty to the hike for Valerie. By the end of the second day, word had spread that more than 20 people from other groups had had to turn back.

Initially, Valerie admits she was worried about her grandson. “At the beginning, I didn’t know who would be ahead of who,” she chuckled. “He was the youngest in the group, but ended up leading the pack while I was the oldest in the group and was at the very back. In fact, I later discovered that they had popcorn every night waiting for people to arrive that was gone by the time I arrived. If I had known they had popcorn, I probably would have hiked a little faster!”

Popcorn or not, Valerie made it to the summit of Machu Picchu and triumphantly held her hiking sticks high above the ruins. In hindsight, some members of the group were hurting during the trek, but not Valerie. She was fit and well-prepared for the trip. Be that as it may, if you asked her, she’d tell you that she would never have been able to complete the hike without CHF, her surgeon that gave her a new knee and hip, and her Small Group Trainer Tanya Rutter.

“Yes, the 13,500-foot altitude was hard and you can’t fix that, but the rest of me worked,” beamed Valerie. “I’ve developed the strength at this age to do something I couldn’t even do in high school or college.”

Valerie hopes she’s inspired others to do the hike, but unfortunately, she admits a lot of people she talks to are just interested in taking the train. “It’s more than just seeing the ruins though,” exclaimed Valerie. “It’s about learning the history along the trail, accomplishing a goal, accepting what you need and giving what you can, and making friends along the journey because you’re all in this together.”

Luckily, this isn’t Valerie’s last hurrah either. She’s still got at least one good trip she’ll take with her fourth grandchild who has already started a list of places he may want to go that includes, China, the Galapagos Islands, Madagascar and Antarctica. However, Valerie reminds herself that the older he gets, the older she gets. “I have to keep in mind that I’ll be 78 years old on his trip,” she smiled. “That’s my incentive to keep coming to the gym.”

Long-time CHF member helping to create safe “Streets for All”

It’s rare that a simple purchase has a long-lasting impact on your life. But for Center for Health & Fitness member Julian Katz, purchasing a bicycle 27 years ago sent him pedaling down a path that eventually landed him the well-earned nickname of “Cycling King of Hermosa Beach.” During the past three decades, Julian worked tirelessly as a community advocate for safer streets and respectful use of the roads for everyone. His efforts led to the installation of 40-plus miles of bikeways throughout seven separate cities in the South Bay, including the first bikeway in the Beach Cities.

We sat down with Julian to see how he put his plan into gear to help make safe “Streets for All.”

Q: You’ve been referred to as the “Cycling King of Hermosa Beach.” How did you earn this title?
A: “When I first came out here, my wife was still in Philadelphia. The first weekend it seemed like there wasn’t much to do, so I figured I’d buy a bicycle. I hadn’t been on a bike in 30 years probably, so I started to just ride in the afternoons after work, and on the weekends. I just liked it.

I kept riding recreationally and about nine years ago, I became a Public Works Commissioner in Hermosa Beach. In that commission, I encouraged the department to form a subcommittee to see if we could develop a Bike Master Plan in Hermosa Beach, because I would ride a lot and see there were very few facilities for bicycles. So we formed a subcommittee with the Parks and Recreation Commission and developed the Hermosa Beach Bike Master Plan, which allowed us to put the first bikeway on Hermosa Avenue.

In the course of doing all of that, I got to know fellow cyclists in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach and we decided we would try to get seven cities together and develop a multi-city bike master plan, later called the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan. We corralled the seven cities (El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Lawndale and Gardena) and got them to apply for a grant with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and they were awarded a quarter-million dollars.”

Q: What would you say was the biggest challenge in applying for the grant and getting seven cities to collaborate?
A: “After getting the grant, building the plan and getting it approved, we discovered the biggest obstacle is getting the cities to implement what they said they were going to do – set up 213 miles of bikeways by 2020 – and we’ve probably done only 30 or 40 miles. So there’s still a long way to go, and we’ve eaten up five years. So that’s the challenge.”

Q: For those who are not familiar with the South Bay Bike Coalition, can you explain your role with the organization and what the SBBC does?
A: “We created the South Bay Bike Coalition to apply for the grant. Our role has been constructive advocacy. We worked through the plan and are constructively advocating for its implementation. Jim Hannon was part of our coalition. He founded the Beach Cities Cycling Club and asked me to be the Vice President of that organization, so I fill that role too. Our objectives are very similar, but the cycling club isn’t meant for advocating. They are ride monitors and leaders who provide education. We’re in the midst of trying to merge the two organizations because it seems like a natural way to get people more into advocacy and to bring them together, so hopefully it will work out.”

Q: What is your favorite Blue Zones Project “Power 9 Principle?”
A: “I like Purpose. That’s been pretty important in my life. To have an objective, a goal and a plan. I’m an engineer, and we work pretty much according to a plan. We have a schedule, we write things down and we have a goal – it may not be today’s goal, but I try to stick with it. I don’t operate randomly very often.”

Q: What further improvements can be made to increase the livability of our streets?
A: “Making it safer for pedestrians – getting cars to slow down is a big one. We don’t need to drive as fast as we do. We’re going to get out of our cars whether we like it or not. By making the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, we can encourage younger people to ride or walk to school, get exercise and be healthier. It’s pretty clear from what I’ve read that if you get exercise in the morning, before you go to school, you’re far more alert when the day begins, and you’re more open to learning, instead of waking up during first period.”

Q: What can bicyclists as well as motorists do to help improve bike safety in the Beach Cities?
A: “The most important thing is to be respectful of any person with whom you share the road. We have a pamphlet called “Share the Road” – it’s rules of the road for cyclists and motorists. And that’s one of the things SBBC works for is to get people on bicycles to be respectful and not try to take the whole road. We have a lot of cyclists in the South Bay who like to ride fast in groups and not share the road, and they can be very aggressive. That’s not an effective way to get cooperation, so it’s really about mutual respect.”

Q: What sparked your transition from bicyclist to bicycling advocate?
A: “It wasn’t safe enough! I looked around at the rest of the world and a lot was happening to increase bike safety in Europe and other parts of the United States, but not much was happening in the South Bay. And it’s the perfect place! The weather is good all year around, but there was very little interest. So we worked to spark interest, and the number of people riding bikes has increased noticeably over the past 5 years, especially among women. So I’m doing what I can to help those new riders and make all rides safer.”

Q: If you could live in any of the original Blue Zones which would you choose?
A: “Oh, well I like Sardinia. We’ve been there! I loved the island. I like the beach. I have a boat, so why would I want to be in Loma Linda? You can have a boat in Sardinia, easily, but not inland like that.”

Q: Any words of advice to someone interested in biking in the Beach Cities?
A: “We always welcome new advocates and people who want to work with the public, cities, commissions and city councils to make the cities safer for everyone! We all can benefit from safer streets.”

— By Michael Lindsey, Communications Intern

Long-time CHF member helping to create safe “Streets for All”

It’s rare that a simple purchase has a long-lasting impact on your life. But for Center for Health & Fitness member Julian Katz, purchasing a bicycle 27 years ago sent him pedaling down a path that eventually landed him the well-earned nickname of “Cycling King of Hermosa Beach.” During the past three decades, Julian worked tirelessly as a community advocate for safer streets and respectful use of the roads for everyone. His efforts led to the installation of 40-plus miles of bikeways throughout seven separate cities in the South Bay, including the first bikeway in the Beach Cities.

We sat down with Julian to see how he put his plan into gear to help make safe “Streets for All.”

Q: You’ve been referred to as the “Cycling King of Hermosa Beach.” How did you earn this title?
A: “When I first came out here, my wife was still in Philadelphia. The first weekend it seemed like there wasn’t much to do, so I figured I’d buy a bicycle. I hadn’t been on a bike in 30 years probably, so I started to just ride in the afternoons after work, and on the weekends. I just liked it.

I kept riding recreationally and about nine years ago, I became a Public Works Commissioner in Hermosa Beach. In that commission, I encouraged the department to form a subcommittee to see if we could develop a Bike Master Plan in Hermosa Beach, because I would ride a lot and see there were very few facilities for bicycles. So we formed a subcommittee with the Parks and Recreation Commission and developed the Hermosa Beach Bike Master Plan, which allowed us to put the first bikeway on Hermosa Avenue.

In the course of doing all of that, I got to know fellow cyclists in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach and we decided we would try to get seven cities together and develop a multi-city bike master plan, later called the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan. We corralled the seven cities (El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Lawndale and Gardena) and got them to apply for a grant with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and they were awarded a quarter-million dollars.”

Q: What would you say was the biggest challenge in applying for the grant and getting seven cities to collaborate?
A: “After getting the grant, building the plan and getting it approved, we discovered the biggest obstacle is getting the cities to implement what they said they were going to do – set up 213 miles of bikeways by 2020 – and we’ve probably done only 30 or 40 miles. So there’s still a long way to go, and we’ve eaten up five years. So that’s the challenge.”

Q: For those who are not familiar with the South Bay Bike Coalition, can you explain your role with the organization and what the SBBC does?
A: “We created the South Bay Bike Coalition to apply for the grant. Our role has been constructive advocacy. We worked through the plan and are constructively advocating for its implementation. Jim Hannon was part of our coalition. He founded the Beach Cities Cycling Club and asked me to be the Vice President of that organization, so I fill that role too. Our objectives are very similar, but the cycling club isn’t meant for advocating. They are ride monitors and leaders who provide education. We’re in the midst of trying to merge the two organizations because it seems like a natural way to get people more into advocacy and to bring them together, so hopefully it will work out.”

Q: What is your favorite Blue Zones Project “Power 9 Principle?”
A: “I like Purpose. That’s been pretty important in my life. To have an objective, a goal and a plan. I’m an engineer, and we work pretty much according to a plan. We have a schedule, we write things down and we have a goal – it may not be today’s goal, but I try to stick with it. I don’t operate randomly very often.”

Q: What further improvements can be made to increase the livability of our streets?
A: “Making it safer for pedestrians – getting cars to slow down is a big one. We don’t need to drive as fast as we do. We’re going to get out of our cars whether we like it or not. By making the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, we can encourage younger people to ride or walk to school, get exercise and be healthier. It’s pretty clear from what I’ve read that if you get exercise in the morning, before you go to school, you’re far more alert when the day begins, and you’re more open to learning, instead of waking up during first period.”

Q: What can bicyclists as well as motorists do to help improve bike safety in the Beach Cities?
A: “The most important thing is to be respectful of any person with whom you share the road. We have a pamphlet called “Share the Road” – it’s rules of the road for cyclists and motorists. And that’s one of the things SBBC works for is to get people on bicycles to be respectful and not try to take the whole road. We have a lot of cyclists in the South Bay who like to ride fast in groups and not share the road, and they can be very aggressive. That’s not an effective way to get cooperation, so it’s really about mutual respect.”

Q: What sparked your transition from bicyclist to bicycling advocate?
A: “It wasn’t safe enough! I looked around at the rest of the world and a lot was happening to increase bike safety in Europe and other parts of the United States, but not much was happening in the South Bay. And it’s the perfect place! The weather is good all year around, but there was very little interest. So we worked to spark interest, and the number of people riding bikes has increased noticeably over the past 5 years, especially among women. So I’m doing what I can to help those new riders and make all rides safer.”

Q: If you could live in any of the original Blue Zones which would you choose?
A: “Oh, well I like Sardinia. We’ve been there! I loved the island. I like the beach. I have a boat, so why would I want to be in Loma Linda? You can have a boat in Sardinia, easily, but not inland like that.”

Q: Any words of advice to someone interested in biking in the Beach Cities?
A: “We always welcome new advocates and people who want to work with the public, cities, commissions and city councils to make the cities safer for everyone! We all can benefit from safer streets.”

— By Michael Lindsey, Communications Intern