Fueling Up Before a Workout  

Nutrition is a huge part of fitness. It is important that your body has the fuel it needs to work efficiently. Timing your intake with your workouts can really enhance the quality of your workout as well as help provide the best recovery after a workout. In this post we are going to focus on what to eat before a workout! I want to start by saying that every person is different and there is no set rule for what you should be eating before a workout. Many people that work out early in the morning do not like to eat prior to their workout. As long as you feel good throughout your workout then this is absolutely fine! When working out in the afternoon and evening it is important that you are giving yourself a few hours following a big meal before working out. Your body needs time to process the calories that were consumed and turn them into fuel. The most important thing to remember is that you must listen to your body and if something makes you not feel well then it needs to be changed. If eating before a workout upsets your stomach you may need more time between the meal and the workout, or you may need to just wait until after your workout to eat. If you do respond well to eating before a workout or feel that you get ravenously hungry during a workout if you skip eating prior then it is good to have something small before working out. A healthy carbohydrate with a protein is a great pre-workout meal. An example of this would be a piece of whole grain toast with almond butter or peanut butter. It is important to remember that this should be a small amount of food. The carbohydrate will help provide energy throughout the workout. It is important to remember that everyone responds differently to foods before a workout. Trial and error is often the best way to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Once you figure out what is best for you before a workout be sure to keep consistent and make it a priority to eat that before each workout. This again reminds us that the body is a machine and needs all of its parts working together to be running at its best!