It’s quite simple, if you don’t have any fuel in the tank then your workout will suffer. If you come to the gym at 6pm and the last thing you ate was a salad at 1pm your workout will suffer and you will be more susceptible to injury.
Pre-exercise meals should be mainly composed of “slow-burning” complex carbs, such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grain bread, rice, pasta, and cereals. Given that they are your body’s main source of energy, 65% to 70% of the total calories of your pre-workout meal should come from carbs. Complex carbs take longer to convert to glucose, which will keep your blood sugar level consistent and prevent you from having an energy crash in the middle of your workout.
Avoid simple sugars, such as candy, in the hour before your workout. They can send your blood sugar level shooting down, leading to a severe drop in energy. Another factor in deciding what to eat is the amount of time between your meal and your workout. A big meal of 1,000 to 1,500 calories takes three to four hours to digest and convert into energy, whereas a smaller meal of about 600 calories will take two to three hours. A small snack under 300 calories will only take about an hour.
- CHOCOLATE – 1 snack-sized Hershey bar (70 calories, 9 grams carbs, 1 gram protein, 3 grams fat)
- YOGURT – 8 ounces low-fat plain yogurt (130 calories, 15 grams carbs, 11 grams protein, 3 grams fat)
- ENERGY BARS – Gatorade bar (260 calories, 46 grams carbs, 8 grams protein, 5 grams fat)
- OATMEAL – 1 cup of oatmeal (145 calories, 25 grams carbs, 6 grams protein, 2 grams fat)
- PASTA – Half-cup of cooked whole-wheat spaghetti (87 calories, 19 grams carbs, 4 grams protein, 0.5 gram fat)
- TRAIL MIX – Half-cup trail mix with nuts, seeds and dried fruit (300 calories, 26 grams carbs, 10 grams protein, 18 grams fat)
- ALMONDS – 12 almonds (83 calories, 3 grams carbs, 3 grams protein, 7 grams fat)
- LENTILS – 1 cup boiled lentils (290 calories, 40 grams carbs, 18 grams protein, 1 gram fat)
- FRUIT – 1 medium banana (105 calories, 27 grams carbs, 1 gram protein, 0.5 gram fat)
