Pep Talk
There is a lot of mystery around what you should be eating before and after your workouts -- and rightly so. Everyone is different and the answer will be different depending on many things, such as your unique biology, taste preferences, schedule, what else you've eaten that day, etc.Many times the only way to find what will truly work for you is through trial and error. Here are some guidelines to help steer you in the right direction.
Before Your Workout
The biggest obstacle you have to face when thinking about your pre-workout meal is digestion. You do not want to still be digesting food when you start your workout. Your body can only exercise or digest; it struggles to do both simultaneously. And in the end, one will win. You can guess how your body decides to stop digestion while exercising. Ewww...
If you are about 3 hours away from your workout, it's okay to eat a normal meal. You should have plenty of time to digest it beforehand. If your last meal was 4 hours or more before your workout, consider eating a small snack before exercising (about 1 hour before) to ensure you have enough energy to push through the workout.
The closer you get to your workout, the easier the meal that you choose should be to digest. Hard foods to digest are fats and high fiber foods. Things like nuts should be avoided as they are very complex and take a long time to process. The same goes for beans and vegetables; eating a salad an hour before your workout might seem like a good idea, but in the end it won't feel that way.
Generally speaking, only consume 100 calories for every hour before your workout (for example, if your workout is 2 hours away, eat 200 calories of food).
Here are some examples of what you could eat based on how far away your workout is:
- 3 or more hours: A normal meal.
- 2 hours: A snack like a banana or apple with peanut butter, half a turkey sandwich, or a small bowl of cereal and milk.
- 1 hour: A very small snack with very little fat or fiber, like a banana, a piece of toast, or half of an energy bar.
- 15-30 minutes before: An energy gel or even some gummie snacks -- something comprised mostly of sugar to give you some quick energy. Your body won't be able to comfortably digest anything else. Some people might find it easier to just sip an energy drink during exercise rather than eat their calories this soon before the workout.
After Your Workout
Although there is going to be a lot of individual difference here, the wrong answer for everyone is, "nothing." Even if you are working out before bed, you should eat something -- if only a small snack -- once you've finished.
A small post-workout meal is important for two reasons:
- It helps to kickstart muscle repair and the recovery process by giving your body the raw materials it needs to get stronger.
- It helps to curb extreme hunger hours later, which compels you to eat everything in the house.
After your post-workout snack, wait until you are hungry again and then continue to eat normally according to your meal plan. Don't be worried that adding this snack will conflict with your goals by adding more calories. In reality, I find that people eat less calories overall when they add this meal because they are less hungry later in the day and tend to eat smaller meals as a result.
Everyone is Different
Keep in mind that these are just guidelines and everyone will be able to tolerate different foods in different ways. Use these guidelines to help figure out what works best for you. Develop a plan and also a back-up plan. What will you do on the days when time gets away from you and you don't have time to grab a meal? Keeping some fruit at your work desk can be a solution -- something you can grab and eat on the go to make sure you have the energy you need to work out hard.
Challenge Workout
Complete the following exercises as quickly as possible, taking breaks as needed:- 25 Jump Squats
- 60 seconds Plank
- 20 Jump Squats
- 45 seconds Plank
- 15 Jump Squats
- 30 seconds Plank
- 10 Jump Squats
- 15 seconds Plank
- 5 Jump Squats
