Food and Training: Exactly What to Eat and When to Get the Most out of Your Workouts
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As a health coach and personal trainer, clients often ask me, “Lisa, what should I be eating before and after a workout and when exactly should I eat?”
Let me tell you, there’s nothing worse than unknowingly sabotaging your workout before you even start it. The first time you eat the wrong thing then suffer with a bloated stomach or indigestion during a workout, you’ll never want it to happen again. Trust me.
I’ve also had personal training clients who have had little to nothing to eat before doing an afternoon workout then feeling lightheaded, dizzy, and super lethargic. Eating the wrong thing then working out is a bad idea, but not eating at all before a workout isn’t recommended either.
I’m all about eating real, wholesome food and ditching nutritionally-empty processed foods. Food that is nurturing for your body will give you the energy you need to workout and help you reach your fitness goals. The most beneficial food leaves you feeling healthy in your body.
When to eat for best workout results
Y’all, timing is everything. You can be fueling your body with incredibly nutritious foods, but if you’re doing it at the wrong time, you won’t be getting all the benefits and you won’t feel as great as you could be.
Avoid eating foods that your body struggles to digest or ones that cause bloating before a workout as these will put a lot of stress on your digestive system. As a rule of thumb, try to have your pre-workout snack 30 minutes to 2 hours before you start.
Personally, I can’t eat just 30 minutes before working out because my body doesn’t react well. This is why understanding and recognizing bio-individuality is so important. There’s no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to food and working out. Experiment until you find what works for you and stick with it.
What kind of workout you’re going to do and how long you’re going to do it also affects when you should eat. If I’m planning to complete a strength training session, I eat differently than if I’m planning on going for a run.
When you’re going to be training for longer than an hour, it’s always a wise move to consider eating before training. If you workout first thing in the morning, make sure you wake up a little earlier so you have time to eat and digest your snack before you begin.
But you don’t have to eat before an early morning workout if that doesn’t suit you and your body. Intermittent fasting is a popular weight loss method right now. If you haven’t already heard of it, intermittent fasting is when you “fast” for an extended period of time and eat all your meals during a short window. There are different ways you can fast, but the most common one is to not eat for 14-16 hours then only eat during an 10-8 hour window.
One of the easiest ways people do this is by skipping breakfast then eating their lunch and dinner at regular times. If you decide to workout in the morning without breakfast, remember that what you eat after your workout is important.
I prefer to not eat before training. But sometimes I have a longer workout planned, other times I’m just starving and then sometimes I really need the energy so I do eat before working out. When I started training for my last half marathon in Cambodia, I began diving more and more into this very topic. I wanted my body to have enough fuel for those long runs and if I ate too close to my workout, I always ended up regretting it.
The truth is everybody is different. You need to experiment with eating before and after training to discover what works best for your body and your workouts.
What to eat to fuel your workout
Once and for all let’s dispel the myths and spell out exactly what you should be eating pre- and post-workout. I don’t know about you, but I would rather workout smarter and not harder.
Your pre-workout food should be high in glucose because you’ll need a lot of it when you begin your training. Glucose = carbohydrates. Yes, carbs!. Carbs are not your enemy.
Our bodies quickly break down carbs and use them as energy during a workout. A combination of fast-burning carbs and some protein is ideal. Training causes small tears in our muscles and we need protein to repair them and gain strength. Avoid fiber and fats in your pre-workout meal or snack because they slow down the digestion of carbs.
According to Sports Dietitians of Australia, the body is most effective at replacing carbohydrates and promoting muscle repair and growth in the first 60-90 minutes after exercise. However, your body will still continue to do this for another 12-24 hours after each workout.
Let’s say you’ve just completed an intense workout. It’s best to have carbs and protein and rehydrate within 60-90 minutes of training. Straight after a workout, your body is trying to repair and rebuild and it needs nutritious food to do so successfully.
If you think skipping a snack or meal post-workout will help you shed the pounds, it’s actually going to do the opposite. Your body will go into panic mode and start storing fat to protect itself.
Not sure what to eat pre- or post-workout? I’ve got you covered with lots of ideas below.
30-60 minutes before training:
Banana with a tablespoonful of natural peanut butter.
Apple with a tablespoon natural almond butter.
Plain yogurt with whole grain cereal.
Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and granola.
Cottage cheese with fresh fruit.
Steel-cut oats with fresh fruit and natural cashew butter.
Raw veggies with hummus.
Smoothie with mixed fruit and chia seeds.
Rice cracker with natural nut butter and banana slices.
Healthy, low-sugar granola bar.
1-2 hours before training:
Steel-cut oats with a banana and a tablespoon of nut butter.
Steel-cut oats with an apple and shaved almonds.
Steel-cut oats with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter and a tablespoon of jelly.
Veggie omelet with 2 eggs and whole grain toast.
Whole grain pasta with veggies and tuna.
Smashed avocado on whole grain toast.
Protein smoothie made with protein powder, banana, mixed berries and milk.
Sandwich on whole grain bread with a lean protein and salad.
Baked sweet potato topped with black beans and Greek yogurt.
Grilled chicken breast with brown rice and veggies.
After training:
Protein shake with protein powder and fresh fruit.
PB&J sandwich on whole grain bread.
Omelet with sautéed veggies, avocado and fruit.
Grilled salmon with a sweet potato and steamed veggies.
Poached eggs with whole grain toast and veggies.
Scrambled eggs with whole grain toast and fresh fruit.
Brown rice bowl with veggies, black beans, avocado and chicken.
Couscous bowl with kale, cherry tomatoes and avocado.
Quinoa bowl with almond milk, grated carrots, almond butter and walnuts.
Tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread.
Rehydrate!
Yes, this blog post is about what to eat before and after training and when to eat it. But hydration plays such an essential part in your health that it deserves its own section. If you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. If you are feeling tired, have muscle cramps or have a high heart rate, you may also be dehydrated.
Try to drink between half an ounce and a full ounce of water for each pound you weigh every day. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink 70-140 ounces of water a day.
The American Council on Exercise suggests the following:
Pre-workout
● Drink 17-0 fl oz of water 2-3 hours before exercise.
● Drink 8 fl oz of fluid 20-30 minutes before exercise.
During workout
● Drink 7-10 ounces of fluid every 10-20 minutes during exercise.
Post-workout
● Drink an additional 8 ounces of fluid 30 minutes after exercise.
● Drink 16 to 24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.
This isn’t set in stone. There are other things to consider when deciding how much water to drink. You need to think about how long you’re training, the temperature you’re training in and how much you sweat. Here in Thailand I need three times as much water as I normally do back home. I train longer here and the temperature is far hotter.
Water is always the best thing to rehydrate with, but there are other options. If you’re drinking sports drinks, check the label to see how much sugar they contain. Some are okay, but some are loaded with excess sugar and calories. My go-to hydration option is a fresh coconut. If you can’t get fresh coconuts where you live, grab boxed coconut water. It’s the next best thing.
When is just as important as what
What you eat before and after working out is important. But it’s just as vital to get the timings of your meals and snacks right, too. You could be eating the healthiest, most nutrient-dense foods in the world, but if you eat them at the wrong times, you’re not going to benefit as much as you could. You could even end up making yourself feel ill so you can’t perform at your best.
Do you have any favorite pre- or post-workout meals or snacks? I’d love to hear about them so I can give them a try. Leave them in a comment below along with when you eat them so I can try it your way.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your diet and workout schedule, I’m here to help. Get in touch with me and we can work together to create a personalized routine made just for you that will help you achieve your wellness goals.
