Fueling Your Body Before and After a Workout
This month, we’re following up on our July blog post, How Much Exercise Do You Really Need to Get in Shape?, with information on how to fuel your body both before and after a workout. Fueling your body with healthy and nutritious foods is critical every day, but if you’re also adding in exercise to your routine, it becomes even more imperative to make sure you’re giving your body the foods it needs to help with recovery.
A well-fueled body will perform its best. Whether you’re underfueled right before you workout, or you typically under fuel on a day-to-day basis, your workouts will suffer. Your body’s preferred source of fuel is glucose, which comes from carbohydrates. If your body does not have enough glucose, it will use fat and muscle tissue as fuel. The problem with this, is that your body wants and needs muscles in order to run, bike, swim, lift weights, or do yoga. So if you’re having to use muscle tissue as fuel, you will not see improvements in fitness. On the flip side, your body also needs fuel after a workout to repair muscles, grow stronger, and help prepare the body for your next training session. Therefore, making sure your body is getting adequate fuel every day, whether you’re working out or not, is only going to help you see the results you want from your fitness routine.
There are a couple of things you need to consider when deciding how to fuel your body before a workout:
What time are you planning on working out?
Is it going to be a short workout (less than 60 minutes) or a long one?
Workout Timing
If you prefer waking up early in the morning and getting your workout done first thing, you might be wondering if you need to eat beforehand or not. Again, if you’re giving your body enough fuel to recover each day, and you’re planning a short workout, you might be able to get away with not eating before you exercise. Your body probably has enough available fuel to get the job done. However, if you tend to restrict calories, or you’re younger and still growing, or you’re doing intense training, it’s essential to eat before your morning workout to give your body the fuel it needs to move.
Since you’re probably not giving your body a lot of time for digestion first thing in the morning, whatever you eat should be quickly and easily digestible. This means a carbohydrate of some kind. Foods super high in fat, fiber, and protein should not be your first pick. Aim for at least 150 calories of energy from carbs before your workout. This might take some trial and error to find something that gives you the fuel you need without upsetting your stomach right before a workout. A few ideas include:
A banana
½ a bagel
Cuties orange and pretzels
Fruit leather and wheat thins
Granola bar
If you’re not planning on working out until later in the day, you can plan your meals and snacks a little differently to help fuel your body. As a rule of thumb, the closer you get to your workout, the easier to digest the food should be.
If you know you’re not working out for 3-4 hours after a meal, you can have a full meal that is rich in carbohydrates but also includes some protein. If you know you’ll have adequate time for your food to digest, you can also include some fat and fiber.
As you get closer to your workout (1-2 hours before), you’ll want to have smaller meals and snacks that still contain carbs and maybe some protein if your body tolerates food well before exercising. At this time, you’ll want to make sure the foods you eat are low in fat and fiber to give your stomach plenty of time to empty before your workout. Here are a few examples:
3-4 hours before your workout:
Granola with milk topped with blueberries and nuts, a hard-boiled egg, and juice
Grilled chicken wrap with baked chips and mixed fruit
Smoothie
Greek yogurt with berries and granola
Sandwich on whole-grain bread, lean protein, and a side salad
Egg omelet and whole-grain toast topped with avocado spread and a cup of fruit
Lean protein, brown rice, and roasted vegetables
1-2 hour(s) before:
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Oatmeal topped with banana and sliced almonds
Whole-grain cereal and milk
Workout Length
If you know your workout for the day is going to last more than 60 minutes, it might be helpful to add some protein to the mix to help sustain energy. You might even need to bring another snack to eat mid-training. Examples of what this might look like include:
1/2 bagel with a nut butter
1 slice of bread or tortilla plus 1 egg or hummus
1 banana plus nuts/nut butter
1 cereal bar plus 1/3 cup dry fruit and nuts
Regardless of what time you’re training or for how long, be sure to stay hydrated as well. Drink a small glass of water with your snacks before your workout, especially if you’re working out first thing in the morning. When you wake up, your body is a bit dehydrated from going for so long without water. Being dehydrated can also reduce your exercise performance and fitness gains.
Post-Workout Fuel
Now that we know what to eat before working out, let’s touch base on what to eat after you train to help your body fully recover. To promote recovery, you’ll want to eat a combination of carbs (with fiber), protein, fat, and fruits/vegetables. Aim for a recovery meal or snack within an hour of finishing your workout. Here are some examples of post-workout fuel:
Greek yogurt parfait topped with fruit and granola
Peanut butter & jelly sandwich plus milk
Low-fat chocolate milk and pretzels
Basic turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with vegetables
Fruit smoothie plus a scoop of high-quality protein powder
Veggie omelet with whole wheat toast and a mixed fruit salad
Rice bowl with chicken, beans, cheese, veggies, salsa, and other flavorful toppings
Grilled fish or chicken with roasted veggies and sweet potatoes
Again, make sure you are rehydrating your body with water or electrolytes post workout.
Fueling your body properly day in and day out, and both before and after exercise, helps ensure your body has the fuel it needs to function its best so that you can see the results you are after.
