What we eat before and after our workout makes a huge impact on our body. The pre & post workout meal is important to optimize the performance of our body.
Pre & Post Workout Meals: An Overview
The pre & post-workout meal is critical for balancing healthy glucose levels. These meals help improve performance and decrease recuperation time.
Importance of Pre-Workout Nutrition
Having the appropriate meal before training can help fuel your workouts, boost results, and help you reach your health and fitness goals.
Best Pre-workout Meal
Include carbohydrates and protein in your pre-workout meals.
Pre-workout meal for 2 to 4 hours before a workout:
Toast with peanut butter and banana, a bowl of oatmeal with nuts and seeds, an egg omelette, or poached chicken with rice and sweet potato.
Best Pre-workout meal for 30 minutes to 1 hour before a workout:
A protein smoothie, a fruit and handful of nuts, or plain yogurt with sliced banana.
Importance of Post-workout Nutrition
Having carbs and protein after a workout helps support muscle recovery. During exercise, muscles use up glycogen and some proteins are broken down. Eating the right nutrients soon after helps the body rebuild glycogen and regrow muscle proteins faster.
Best Post Workout Meal
Good post-workout meal options include: a protein shake, scrambled eggs and veggies, sweet potatoes, quinoa, fruits, rice, oatmeal, whole grain bread, cottage cheese, chicken, avocado, or nuts.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Avoid Unknown Ingredients — always research what you consume.
- Stay Away from Spicy Food — can cause digestive issues during recovery.
- Say No to Excessive Sugar — stick to whole foods like fruits, seeds, nuts, and clean meat.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated before and after your workout maximizes results. During a session, we lose water and electrolytes through sweat, so rehydrating appropriately helps with performance, recovery, and injury prevention.
