Before you work out, food is critical, but it is also confusing as you are bombarded with information and hints on nutrition shared in locker rooms and online nutrition data.
Complex carbs should be eaten three to four hours before physical activity and simple carbs 30-60 minutes before exercise. Protein may also build muscle and boost your energy.
Bananas
Bananas are also a great pre-workout treat, providing easily digestible glucose along with a boost of potassium (which can help to prevent muscle cramps). Moreover, the fruit also contains protein and good fats to fuel workouts.
Oatmeal is the perfect carb and protein fuel for your workout, and it’s perfect as a one-pot pre-workout snack with fruit, low-fat cottage cheese and nuts – or some roasted chicken breast for protein, complex carbs and healthy fats!
Try to stay away from fast food for pre-workout food as it is often loaded with fat and sugar. Instead eat turkey sandwich on whole grain bread or hard-boiled egg with pieces of banana for pre workout energy. Each has carbs and proteins to keep you going during your session.
Chicken Thighs
If you fuel your body with carbs or proteins prior to exercise, you’ll be creating more muscle protein and doing so at higher performance level while storing away glycogen (an energy storage unit in your body) making exercises harder and more demanding than they have to be. Fuelling before exercise not only can improve performance, it might even make exercising more difficult and demanding!
The best option is to have a protein-packed carb-heavy meal two hours before exercising. Beware of foods containing bad fats and sugars, which can clog your digestive tract or make you feel worse while working out. Grilled chicken thighs and brown rice have complex carbs to maintain your steady metabolism – add some whey protein powder for a good pre-workout fuel!
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is also a good pre-workout snack because it slowly burns carbs so you don’t feel that post-workout low of the sugar rush, says O’Malley.
Soy bread will give another slow release carb source. It should be eaten with protein and healthy fat spreads like peanut or almond butter to help keep blood sugar steady during workout.
A half sandwich provides energy and protein to have an amazing workout, and unsalted nuts for extra protein and digestible carbs are an excellent snack option.
Greek Yogurt with Berries
A pre-workout meal plan should consist of protein foods that will nourish your muscles but watch out for anything saturated or trans fat that makes your body harder to digest and turn into energy leaving you so drained on the gym floor!
Complex carbohydrates, which deliver energy slowly into the bloodstream for use in fuel, are also great pre-workout fuel. Carbs and protein are provided by a wholegrain bread with a hard-boiled egg.
Pb&Js are a handy pre-workout snack, loaded with protein and beneficial fat from peanut butter, while fruit provides both simple and complex carbs to help regulate blood sugar. Add berries or chopped apple to boost the nutritional content!
Whole Grain Bread
When it comes to endurance training, you need to have a big carb meal or snack in advance to fuel your body, as well as protein when you are lifting weights.
The fats in foods slowly break down in your stomach, and pull energy and oxygen away from your muscles. Don’t eat too much sugar or caffeine either, and even if they give temporary energy, they may pass by and lead to jitters, increases in heartrate and blood pressure.
Oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes and other complex carbs release the most sustained energy for your workout. Add protein powder or peanut butter to get a little extra energy and to maintain muscle.
