Foods to eat before and after your workout

6.30am: Your alarm goes off signalling to get out of bed and throw on your gym gear. Your spin class starts in 30 minutes, and having only just woken up you’re in no mind space to think about food. You run out the door and make it in time, but fatigue has already hit you. You begin your gym class feeling sluggish and lack lustre. Why haven’t you been able to wake up this morning? Maybe you had a rough sleep or are coming down with a cold? Or, maybe you really are as unfit as you thought? You continue the class, regrettably, and make it home just in time to shower, then race out again to get to work on time. You arrive at the office surprised by meetings and tasks that keep you busy all morning. Shockingly its midday, and my goodness, it’s apparent just how lethargic you feel today. Your body is aching and your mind is struggling to balance more than one task.

If this has ever been you, there was one thing you could have done to prevent your lethargy; Eat.

Eating before and after a workout is more important than you think. Poor eating habits can undermine even the best efforts to stay fit and leave you feeling drained for energy, instead of revitalized. Many of you may be accustomed to exercising on an empty stomach, but research has shown that eating the right foods before and after a workout can be more beneficial for fitness and weight loss than not eating at all. Fuelling your body before exercise will prevent that sluggish lethargic feeling and help you push through your work out. Additionally, eating high protein foods after will help your muscles recover and grow. In addition to the right foods, make sure you are drinking adequate water throughout the day and at least 2 cups of water 2 hours before intense exercise.

Foods to Eat Before:

Carbohydrates are one of your body’s best fuel sources due to the efficient way they use oxygen. Carbohydrates use less oxygen for every kilocalorie of energy produced than fats or proteins, which make them a perfect dietary addition if you are physically active or trying to improve your fitness. Eating carbohydrates before exercise will give your body the fuel it needs to endure physical activity over a long period of time. The glycogen stores in your liver and muscles depend on your carbohydrate intake. Your body converts glycogen to glucose, which your muscles use as a primary source of fuel during exercise. This means that your ability to exercise is limited by the amount of glucose in your body. The reason for feeling sluggish or lethargic during exercise can be related to low levels of glucose. If your body doesn’t have enough glycogen to sustain you, it will start to burn fat for energy. However, fat burns at a much slower rate than carbohydrates, which will slow you down leaving you feeling low in energy and lethargic. Perfect meals to eat before exercise contain high levels of carbohydrates, however low GI so that the energy is release slowly. Fruit is fantastic to eat before exercise due to its high levels of fructose (glucose). Try the below before your next workout and experience the energy difference!

Whole Wheat Toast with Banana, Strawberry and Cinnamon or Yogurt, honey and pistachio

Oat or Quinoa Porridge with fresh berries

Apple slices with almond butter and Cinnamon

Foods to eat After:

When deciding what foods are best to eat after an intense workout, you must look for foods that are going to promote muscle repair and aid recovery. Protein is the most valuable food source you can eat after a workout. During exercise, your body breaks down muscle glycogen as well as muscle protein structures. Consequently, after intense exercise, your body needs to replenish its energy supply and repair muscle tissue. Many people understand the importance of protein for muscle development. However, many are unaware of the importance of carbohydrates, too, in the recovery process. In order to repair muscle tissue, you need to consume enough carbohydrates to promote substantial insulin release. That’s because it’s your body’s insulin that is responsible for transporting amino acids (proteins) back into the muscles. For the best combination meals of carbohydrates and protein we suggest the following:

Scrambled eggs with Mushrooms, Avocado, Vegetables or Salmon on wholemeal toast