Nutrition Tip - Fueling for a Workout

Pre-Workout Fueling

It’s important to remember to fuel your body before a workout. Just like you would put gas in your car before a long trip, you want to put some gas into your body before a workout. Food is energy for your body and we tend to forget this when it comes to exercise. The wrong foods can have a significant impact on your performance. Proper fueling of the body before an exercise session can:

• Prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which can cause lightheadedness, fatigue, blurred vision, and indecisiveness
• Help settle your stomach and ward off hunger
• Fuel your muscles. Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the muscle and released into the bloodstream during exercise for energy and brain functioning

   

  What to eat before a workout depends on the time of the day you exercise. If you are an early riser and get right to the gym, have something small before you leave the house. Choose a food that is low in protein, fiber, and fat because these take a while for your body to break down. You want something that is mainly simple carbohydrates like a piece of fruit or toast.

   

  If you work out in the evening make sure you have a large lunch and an afternoon snack to give you the energy you need during your workout. A balanced snack with healthy carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is recommended about 2-3 hours before your evening workout.  Avoid going more than 4 hours without food. Your workout will suffer.

  For lunch and your afternoon snack, avoid high fat foods like burgers and fried foods because they take longer to empty from the stomach. They can leave you feeling full and sluggish during your workout. In the afternoon, be careful with sugary foods like candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, and sports drinks. These can give you an initial “sugar high” followed by a crash that can leave you feeling overly tired during your workout.

   

  Here are some examples of healthy pre-workout foods:

  3–4 Hours Before Exercise:

• Peanut butter & honey on toast + smoothie
• Fruit and yogurt + low-fat granola
• Oatmeal with brown sugar and almonds + skim milk + banana
• Low-fat cottage cheese + apple butter + crackers + fresh grapes
• Small Turkey and Swiss sandwich + fruit
• Low-fat tuna melt sandwich + fruit cup + fat-free yogurt

   

  30–60 Minutes Before Exercise:

• Sports drink or water
• Granola bar
• Piece of whole grain toast
• Piece of fruit