YOUR PRE-EXERCISE MEAL OR SNACK

                            Your Pre-Exercise Meal or Snack

News flash: Most of the fuel you use during exercise doesn’t come from the food you’ve recently eaten! It actually comes from the carbohydrates (called “glycogen”) and fat that’s stored in your muscles, liver, and fat cells. That’s enough to fuel 1-2 hours of very intense exercise or 3-4 hours of moderate intensity exercise.

This means that if your overall diet is adequate to keep your fuel tanks topped off, you may not need to eat anything before you work out. So, if eating before exercise upsets your stomach or you like to exercise first thing in the morning or at a time when eating first isn’t convenient, don’t feel like eating first is a must.

Some people do have a hard time exercising without eating first, especially if it’s been a long time since their last meal or snack. These individuals often are more sensitive to changes in their blood sugar levels, which fall during the first 15-20 minutes of workout. That drop in blood sugar can cause tiredness, mild dizziness, or even faintness—especially if your blood sugar was already low, but eating something beforehand can help prevent this. If you have health issues like diabetes or hypoglycemia that can cause low blood sugar, you’ll probably want to eat before your workout. If you get very hungry during a workout (and it interferes with your energy levels or focus), or become so ravenous after an exercise session that you end up overeating, try eating before you hit the gym to avoid these problems.

 What to eat?

Your snack should be approximately 200 to 250 calories and contain both a complex carb and protein. Simple carb will have your blood sugar dropping in the middle of your workout. It should be something that is easy to have on hand so you are always prepared. Some of  suggestions of  pre-workout snacks:

* Fruit and yogurt

* Nuts

* Oatmeal

* Cereals (with more than 3 grams of fiber) and milk

* Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit

* Hummus and raw veggies

* Hard boiled eggs (or egg whites)

* Cottage cheese and fruit

* Half a peanut butter or turkey/chicken sandwich on whole grain bread

* Whole grain crackers with nut butter or cheese

* Whole grain fig (or fruit) Newton cookies

* Milk (especially chocolate milk)

* Tomato or vegetable juice

* Yogurt smoothie (with added protein powder, if desired)

* Most protein/energy bars

As a moderate exerciser, you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to timing your meals and choosing your foods. The most important things are getting to know your body and how it responds to exercise, so that you can give it what it needs to perform at its best. Eating the right foods at the right times before you work out is essential to keeping your energy up, your workout performance high, and your body in fat-burning mode.

REFERENCE:

http://blogs.ajc.com/better-health/2009/05/13/thinner-you-what-to-eat-before-you-work-out/

http://lipstickpowdernpaint.com/2011/07/21/what-you-should-eat-before-you-work-out/