What to Eat Before a Workout

Do you ever feel completely ready for exercise with the best intentions and perfect motivation, yet your body just won’t cooperate when it comes down to it? It happens to the best of us! No matter how determined you are, you can’t force your body to perform unless you’ve fueled it correctly.

Here’s the reason; many people are unaware of this, but the body actually works to repair and build your muscles 24 hours a day – not only whilst being active. So the type of food you eat before (and after) a workout makes a massive difference to what you get out of it.

For fuel before a workout, the best shout is a form of carbohydrate.  NOT the ‘naughty’ kind of carbohydrate, such as refined sugar, white pasta or white bread. If you go for the right kind of carbs such as those you find in wholemeal pasta and bread, fruits and nuts, they’re great for giving you sustainable energy. There are slow carbs, and there are fast carbs, and rather than boring you with a long explanation, you just need to know that a bit of both is good before a workout.

Here you have a little list of suggestions on combinations that can help you fuel your workout to the max:

1: One slice of wholemeal toast with sliced banana (and add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you like that as well as that helps stabilize your blood sugar)

2: Natural peanut butter one a slice of wholemeal toast (just don’t overdo it with the butter – have it cover the bread without too much of a top)

3: 1-2 hard-boiled eggs on a piece of wholemeal toast. This is if you’re a little hungrier as it can be quite filling.

4: A small pot of low-fat Greek yoghurt with mixed nuts and dried fruits

5: A simple fruit cup (I would recommend mixing fruit with berries) will give you a natural sugar boost, but if you want to stabilize your blood sugar a little they add 3-4 almonds.

6: One sliced apple with almond butter – or peanut butter for that matter. But try to use the natural kind whichever way.

Eat your pre-workout snack about 30-60 minutes before your workout so that your body can focus its energy on exercising – not digesting. This, of course, is depending on how your individual body works!