Pre and post workout meals

One of the most common questions I get is about what to eat before and after training. What you eat and when you eat it can have a major effect on how well your workout goes.



For early a.m. trainers:
1. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up. We all wake up in a slightly dehydrated state.
2. A banana soon after will help quiet hunger pangs while working out.
3. Start drinking a Gatorade before your workout and continuing through your workout.
4. After training eat a normal breakfast



For noon trainers:
1. Eat a balanced breakfast. eg. eggs with a cup of oatmeal with berries. The goal is to have high quality protein (eggs) with some slow burning carbs (oatmeal).
2. Drink plenty of water all morning
3. A light snack of fruit around 10:30 is a good idea.
4. Again, a Gatorade right before and during can help.



Afternoon and evening trainers:
1. As long as you've eaten during the day, and not skipped any meals, you shouldn't have much problem.
2. Try to not have a major meal within 3 hours of your workout, especially if theirs a significant amount of fat in your meal. Fat takes long to digest.
3. Make sure you're well hydrated.



An excellent post workout drink to consume right after your workout is chocolate milk. A healthy balanced meal one hour after your workout will help your body recover.

Some general rules on eating and exercise:
1. If possible, group most of your daily carbs around your workout time. They'll have a better chance of being used for energy and being stored as glycogen and NOT fat. So, chocolate milk after a workout is great. Chocolate milk 5 hours later...not so much.
2. Fat digests slowly. A sure way to feel ill during a workout is to eat a high fat meal right before your workout.
3. Keep track of what you eat and how you feel. Try different foods and timing and see how your workouts go. The information I give is very general. You need to try things to see what works best for you.
4. Stay well hydrated.

Some useful links:

John Berardi - Nutrient Timing

WebMD - Chocolate Milk the New Sports Drink?

Faster Swimming - Carbohydrates, Performance and Activity

And for those who want much more structure and control of their eating:

Dr. Hatfields's - ZigZag Diet