What you eat before you have a workout is very important for you to have a good workout. A bad pre workout meal can cause discomfort, make you tired, ruining your workout. A good pre workout meal, however, can fuel your body and help you achieve a high energy workout.
So what foods are good to eat in order to enable you to have the best workout possible?
There are two major factors that determine what kinds of foods you should be having, and they are 1) the type of workout and 2) how much time you have before you go workout. For this article, I'm going look at the typical gym workout which includes weight training and cardio. So that leaves the other variable of how much time you have before you are going to work out.
3-4 Hours Before Workout
If you have 3-4 hours before you are going to work out, you can have a full meal. The meal should consist of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and fibres. Some examples are chicken, pasta, tuna, eggs, potatoes, rice, and vegetables.
1-2 hours
If you have 1-2 hours, you should be having a smaller snack. Make sure you don't go overboard on the protein, fats, and fibres. Overeating may cause discomfort while you are exercising, and it can also delay the energy from getting to your muscles. This is a good time to have foods such as granola bars, yogurt, fruit, or a bowl of cereal.
30 Minutes
Say you're late getting off work and have to make it to the gym within ½ an hour. This is when you should be having something super simple and carbohydrates, such as Gatorade or other sports drinks, a glass of juice, or a piece of fruit. Eating properly before exercising can be the difference from having a bad workout and a good one. Eat properly to ensure that your body is operating at its optimum level.
Post-workout meals
Post-workout meals are the most important meals of all. Remember that an intense workout session often creates small tears in your muscles, and your body will naturally attempt to repair and strengthen these muscles in the hours immediately following the workout. To make sure that your muscles are indeed able to rebuild themselves, you have to consume the right post-workout meals.
Carbohydrates are necessary for replenishing fuel sources and protein for promoting muscle repair and strengthening. The sooner you consume these nutrients, the sooner your body can begin healing itself. The goal of post-workout meals, therefore, is to refuel your body quickly and provide it with the necessary ingredients for rebuilding and strengthening your muscles.
Consuming a sports drink is an excellent way to begin your post-workout Carb and glycogen replenishment. Fruit juice is also a good option. The necessary next step is to consume a good source of protein. A whey protein shake should serve this purpose perfectly.
Just as with your pre-workout meal, timing is also essential in consuming post-workout meals. It is best to provide your body with the necessary nutrients less than 30 minutes after a workout.
Source
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