What Should I Eat Before A Workout?

Content by: 180 Nutrition

what to eat before a workout

180 Nutrition: One of the most common questions that we get asked is ‘what should I eat before a workout’? Unfortunately, without knowing you, your training regime, your lifestyle, your food intolerances and your medical history it’s impossible to give a definitive answer on that.

Everybody is completely different, and something that might work for one person could have completely the opposite effect on someone else who is doing the same thing.

What to eat, and more importantly, when, depends entirely on your training goals, your level of activity, your physical condition, the speed of your metabolism and more importantly, the time of your workout.

We can though share our knowledge and experience on a few things that we’ve learned over the years which we think you might find useful.

The key thing to remember is that your food is only valuable to your workout once it’s been digested. So not only will chowing down on a big steak 20 minutes before your workout make you feel sick as it swirls around in your stomach while you train; it’ll also provide you with little energy making this a poor choice for pre-workout nutrition.

If you’re going to eat a big meal, we advise giving it three to four hours to digest and remember that foods with a higher fat fibre and protein content take longer to absorb. Which brings us to our next point – what if you train in the morning?

If you train at 5 am every day, as many do, getting up to make a nutritious breakfast just isn’t going to work. Unless you’re really committed and want to get up at 3 am every day, you’re going to have to improvise on how you get your pre-workout fuel.

Cardio is perfectly fine on an empty stomach, and indeed recommended for fat loss, but if you’re lifting weights then eating something beforehand will give you vital energy required to achieve maximum performance.

The vicious circle is that if you don’t eat enough, it can affect your performance; and if you eat too much, you can make yourself unwell during your session. Half a piece of fruit or some raw nuts consumed before you leave the house could be substantial, but the best advice we can give you is the good old fashioned smoothie.

Add some 180 Nutrition Superfood powder to a cup of almond milk or water, add in half a frozen banana and you’ve got a meal in a glass. Packed full of essential nutrients which will give your body the energy it needs during a workout, because it’s a liquid it’s easier on the body and will be digested much faster. I’d still only recommend half a serve before you train, but if you put it in a container, you can take it with you and drink the rest as you’re on your way home.

For an extra boost, you can also add a serve of 180 Nutrition L- Glutamine powder which supports the muscular system.

Let us know if you found this useful or can share any of your own tips or techniques in the comments section below 🙂

Order 180 for your pre/post workout nutrition here

180 Nutrition

This article was curated by 180 Nutrition who were founded in March 2010 with the goal to offer the very best in natural health supplements and resources. The passionate team are aligned with leading health and wellness professionals including nutritionists, naturopaths, functional medicine and exercise specialists. They regularly connect with... Read More
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