Foods to Eat Before Exercising and What to Eat After Exercise

Choosing what foods to eat before and after exercise is a science. Your performance and energy during exercise are greatly attributed to what and when you eat. Fueling before your workout can prevent low blood sugar and help fight fatigue.

Eat Before Exercising and After

Eating after exercise can help repair the muscles and replenish glycogen(stored carbohydrate in the muscles used for energy) used during your workout. Every person is different considering calorie needs, type of exercise, and tolerance to food before exercise. Some people can eat right before exercise. Others may need to eat a few hours before to avoid digestive problems.

Eat Carbs Before Exercising

Carbohydrate eaten before exercise is used to fuel the muscles. If you do not fuel before, you may “hit the wall” and deplete your glycogen stores and feel extreme fatigue. Consuming carbohydrates before your workout is ideal. If you are an early riser and exercise in the morning, eating 100-200 calories will help you get through your workout.

Good choices would be a slice of toast with peanut butter, a banana, or a granola bar. Then enjoy a light breakfast afterward made up of protein and carbohydrates, such as berries and yogurt or eggs and a piece of whole grain toast. If you are an early exerciser and cannot tolerate eating as soon as you awake, try eating a bedtime snack the night before and eating breakfast immediately after exercise.

Mid-Morning Exercising

For midmorning exercisers, eat a light breakfast and let it digest two to four hours before exercise. After your workout, enjoy a small midmorning snack to refuel and keep your blood sugar stable. Some good choices would be apple slices with peanut butter or a piece of string cheese and whole-grain crackers. For lunchtime exercisers, eat breakfast and enjoy a midmorning snack made up of carbohydrates one to two hours before exercise. Skipping this important mid-morning snack before a noon workout may cause you to cut your workout short, and you may become famished and overeat at your next meal.

Mid Afternoon Exercising

For mid-afternoon workouts, have a filling lunch and wait two to four hours before exercise. A salad with chicken and a whole grain roll would be an energizing lunch. Then, have a small afternoon snack post-workout to hold you over until dinner. For evening exercisers, make sure you have a mid-afternoon snack a few hours before. By the time you get to the gym after work, it has been hours since lunch and your body will be running on fumes by then. Have a small snack to hold you over until dinner and to provide enough energy for your late exercise session. Enjoy a healthy dinner afterward made up of carbohydrates and protein.

Common Complaints When Eating Before or After Exercise

Some people may run into digestive problems during exercise. Some common complaints may be upset stomach, heartburn, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. This can be attributed to eating too much before exercise, intense or high-impact exercise, or simply just eating foods that do not agree well with your body. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you may want to consult your physician and try tweaking your diet to prevent these digestive problems.

Meals and snacks with high protein or high-fat content can sit heavy in the stomach. Protein and fat stay in your stomach much longer than carbohydrates, which are more easily digested. Spicy foods may cause heartburn, and legumes and coniferous vegetables can cause bloating and gas. Drinking caffeinated beverages before exercise may give a boost to some people and an upset stomach to others. Another factor may be training status; untrained people may have a lower tolerance to food before exercise.

Fat Burners

When it comes to losing weight, there are a lot of different factors to consider. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise are important steps toward shedding those unwanted pounds. But sometimes, even with these efforts, the progress can be slow. This is where fat burner supplements come in – they help your body burn more calories and fat than you would on your own. You will want to research to find the safest, best, top fat burners for women.

Consider What Type of Exercises You Will Be Doing

The type of exercise you perform can have an effect on your tolerance of food. High-intensity and high-impact activities such as running may cause more digestive problems than lower-impact and lower-intensity activities. The body is able to digest food during exercise if you are working at a low to moderate intensity. 

If you are engaging in high-intensity exercise, it may help to eat a hearty breakfast or lunch and wait three to four hours for the food to fully digest. Planning your diet around your exercise for the day will help. If you choose to eat a meal before exercise, wait two to four hours before exercising. A small snack of 100-200 calories should be consumed one to two hours before. It may require some experimentation to find what works for your body.

After Exercising

As for after exercise, have your post-exercise meal or snack composed of carbohydrates and protein. Protein plays a large role in rebuilding muscle broken down during exercise. Some ideal combinations would be a turkey sandwich or a bowl of cereal with sliced bananas and milk. Exercise can temporarily put your hunger to a halt, but it is important to refuel after a workout. If you do not feel hungry after exercise, try a glass of chocolate milk or a fruit smoothie, which may be easier to consume. In addition, make sure you are replacing fluids lost during exercise if you want to begin your workout hydrated and drink water during and afterward. If you engage in high-intensity exercise, you may consider a sports drink to replace lost sodium and potassium.

If you are trying to maintain or lose weight, it may seem counterintuitive to eat before and after exercise. However, having small meals throughout the day will prevent hunger so you avoid overeating and make better choices when you do eat. For most people, eating every three to four hours may be recommended to keep the blood sugar stable and to keep the body running smoothly. Fueling before exercise may actually enable you to burn more calories by working out longer or with more intensity.