Which Foods to Eat before Working Out?

You must have heard countless times trainers stressing on the importance of proper diet and nutrition to complement your workout. They’re not just saying it too; proper food intake is vital if you want to get fit and maintain your fitness. Eating well is one thing but eating the right food at the right time is what makes all the difference.

Your muscles need foods which will help them work easily and quickly. Therefore, knowing what to eat before your workouts goes a long way in affecting the results of your training.

It will also help you determine whether you feel like you’ve pushed yourself to your limits, because the right balance of nutritious food before your workout will help you power you through and enhance your workout.

In this post, we’ll give you a list of ideal foods to have before working out that will have a positive impact on your performance and results:

Bananas

Bananas are good for so many reasons and this includes being perfect as a pre-workout snack. They’re packed full of potassium which maintains nerve and muscle function and if you fancy adding a little more flavour to your snack, add a sprinkle of cinnamon which is believed to stabilise blood sugar and can help improve and enhance brain function.

Oats

Great for so many occasions but especially before you head out to the gym. They keep you full without making you bloated and slowly release their sugar content, ensuring you’re kept energised throughout your training session. Oats are also packed with B vitamins which convert carbs into energy and if you team them with fresh fruits and berries, you’ll also up the liquid content and boost your hydration.

Whole Wheat Bread

Bread is a great way to add complex carbs into your pre-workout snack or meal. Like oats, bread helps to deliver a slow released, long lasting energy boost.

You can team your bread with bananas for a double hit of nutrition before you work out and even add an organic nut butter of your choosing for an additional increase to your protein, potassium and healthy fat levels.

Foods to avoid before Working out

Processed, fatty foods should, of course, always be kept well away from your diet but especially before working out. Foods very high in fat are slow to digest, causing you to move more slowly, and possibly giving you stomach cramps as you work out. Raw sugars and sweets are a bad choice because the sugar rush they provide isn’t going to be sustained throughout a whole workout and the last thing you need mid-training is a sugar crash.