As past blog posts have expressed helpful tips on eating healthier. I thought it would be best to
talk about foods you consume with regards to your workout regiment! Although you may see
online of people fasting before they go to their workout, the reality is that it can actually be quite
harmful. Some of the symptoms you could be experiencing include fatigue, low energy, and of
course hunger! In the end, all those symptoms manage to do is destroy your appetite for working
out which can really throw off your schedule. With all that said, working out should feel good and
keep you energized and you can do that if you follow along with some of these healthy snacks to
eat before you go off on your rigorous workout!
Yogurt Parfait
This is a great go-to snack for those of you who wake up and want something quick to eat. Greek
yogurt, in particular, contains almost double the protein as regular yogurt (and about half as much
sugar!). When matching this with some oats and some fruit, this should be a sufficient amount of
food to provide an energy boost that’s easy on your tummy
Smoothie
Smoothies are always an easy and solid choice for a pre-workout snack. The main reason is that
you can make them into whatever you want. They have the ability to be high in protein depending
on the ingredients you put into it such as bananas, blueberries, and spinach. As well as, smoothies
can be rapidly digested, and have a combination of simple and complex carbohydrates. All that
said, those carbohydrates are great to digest 15-20mins before your workout and you’ll have that
will last you for hours.
Oats
Oats are great for those morning workouts! We know it’s important to eat a meal as soon as we
wake up but that can get complicated when your main plan is to workout in the morning.
Therefore, eating something like oatmeal settles well in the stomach and can provide long-lasting
energy!
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter, whether it is on toast, rolled up in a protein ball, or matched with fruit can always
be a strong choice. This magical food can be great because although nuts can be quite filling
when paired with bread or fruit it can balance out to be just enough to give you that boost in
protein and energy before your workout.!
Fruit
Oranges provide a very quick type of energy source. That’s why you’ always hear bodybuilders
talking about eating or sucking on oranges before a workout! Therefore fruits, such as oranges
can be a tremendous food to consume before your workout. This is a great slower digesting carb
that will provide you with a sufficient source of energy.
Meal Prep
This may sound like a funny one BUT for those of you who are dedicated to your exercise and
often meal prep, and then your leftovers could be a great pre-workout snack. Foods such as brown
rice with chicken and broccoli may seem plain but sit very well in your stomach, while providing
you with much-needed carbs and protein. Eating foods like this is great if you tend to do most of
your exercises after lunch or before dinner because they tend to be less heavy.
Stay Hydrated!
Of course, it would be silly of me to not mention one of the most important things to consume before
a workout, which is water! Why water is so important you may ask? It’s simple, water acts as your
body’s cooling systems and when you are exercising you are sweating out so much fluid you’ll have
little left to keep you energized. Therefore it is important that you remember to keep track of your
water consumption so you don’t end up dehydrated. Other questions that are often asked as well is
whether or not sports drinks such as Gatorade, Vitamin Water, or PowerAde is a better option to keep
hydrated than water. The simple answer is that water is most often enough during a workout.
However, if you are planning on exercising for more than an hour in hot conditions than the carbs and
sodium found in sports drink might help give you the extra energy and fluid you may need. Lastly, is
the question regarding whether or not consuming caffeine before a workout is a good idea. Contrary to
popular belief consuming a moderate amount of caffeine before your workout can help you not only
enjoy your workout, but also give you that extra boost to complete harder exercises. Researchers also
found that it can reduce post-exercise muscle soreness.
In conclusion, always remember that the timing of when you consume your food is everything.
Even the healthiest foods can come back and haunt you in the middle of your workout if you
don’t give yourself proper time to digest your food. Therefore, it is best to eat 45 minutes before
you start your exercise, and even longer if you had a big meal. While certain foods can settle in
your bloodstream faster than others, when you exercise on a full stomach you run the risk of
feeling weak and getting cramps, because exercise pulls blood away from the stomach to the
muscles. So eat these helpful foods and always remember to give yourself time for the food to
settle and you should be able to rock your workout