If you are wondering what you should eat before a workout, the answer isn’t simple.
The reason for this is that what you should eat before a workout, or even if you should eat before a workout, depends on when you are planning on working out in relation to when you want to eat.
Simply put, the closer to your workout you are, the less you will want to eat!
There has been a debate for some time as to whether or not you should even eat before you workout.
However, if you talk to the experts, who are nutritionists and trainers with formal training, the answer is yes you should eat before a workout.
That is because food provides you with the energy that you need to work out longer and more effectively.
The next question then becomes when to eat.
The truth is, you want to ensure that you don’t eat too close to a workout because having a full stomach can make you sick. You should have at least one hour between your last meal and a strenuous workout to prevent yourself from getting sick. What’s more, you will find that two to four hours is even better than one hour.
This can be a point of frustration for those of you who work out in the mornings. After all, if you are exercising at 6 AM, then you aren’t going to get up at 3 AM to eat. Don’t worry; there is a solution for you as well!
Whenever you choose to work out, it’s important to have a goal-oriented workout plan. Go PRO today for access to workout plans that can help you reach your health and fitness goals.
What Should I Eat Before a Morning Workout?
If you are getting up early in the morning to work out, good for you! However, you are now faced with the question of what to eat before your workout. For anyone who has less than an hour before they are working out, you need to consider a light snack that is high in carbs.
That’s right, carbs give you energy and they are the fastest form of energy the body digests. Now, you aren’t going to want to eat a loaf of bread, but a piece of toast with a little butter is fine. Keep the fat to a minimum.
Another option is to drink a sports drink or at least some water. A grumbling stomach during a workout is actually a distraction that you don’t need, so tricking your stomach into feeling full will help to avoid that distraction.
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What Should I Eat When I Have at Least an Hour Before My Workout?
If you have at least one hour before your workout, then you will want to still keep your eating lighter than you would if you had, for example, three hours to spare; but you want to eat more than you would if you only had 15 minutes before your workout.
With all that being said, you are still going to eat light, but not too light. Consider eating a light meal such as a salad or a sandwich with no sides. Much like you would if you were grabbing an early morning workout, you should keep the fat and protein to a minimum and focus on eating carbs.
Carbs are easier for the body to digest. This means that if you don’t have hours before your workout, you will still be getting the energy you need from food but your body won’t be working hard to digest proteins and fat, which take longer for the body to digest.
What Should I Eat If I Have Plenty of Time Before a Workout?
If you have plenty of time before a workout, then you should eat a meal as you normally would. Now, if you are someone who eats all of your meals at McDonald’s, then this advice isn’t for you. In this case, you need to rethink your eating habits if you are trying to get healthy!
What this means is that you should eat a meal with a balance of protein, fat, and carbs that is healthy for your body as well. So, instead of steak, for example, you might get your protein from pork or chicken breast. The same thing applies to your carbs and fat; try to get them from healthier food sources that won’t clog your arteries and eventually cause a coronary.
You need to eat before a workout if you want your workout to be as beneficial as possible. With that being said, eating the right foods is just as important as making sure that you do eat. The wrong foods will lead to a less effective workout and your body retaining fat, something you want to avoid at all costs!
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