A question that people have is what they should eat before a workout and when they should eat before a workout.

When you eat food it takes about 1-2 hours for the food to be digested in your stomach and to move into your colon. If you exercise with lots of food in your stomach you can suffer from cramps and stitches. I would recommend that you do not eat a big meal less than 2 hours before a workout. This allows time for your food to be digested and moved out of your stomach.

The type of food I would recommend in a pre workout meal is one that does not contain too much fat or fibre (this takes longer to digest). A good example of a pre workout meal is a bowl of porridge or a baked sweet potato with tuna. If you already had your breakfast or your lunch before your workout and you already feeling hungry, make sure you have something quick and small that gives you enough energy to workout but won't leave you too heavy, for example plain yogurt (greek would be best choice) with berries; or an apple with a small handful of nuts; whats also great as a pre workout snack is a wholegrain cracker with homemade nutella; or smoothies are also amazing as they contain loads of vitamins and minerals but also give you enough energy (make sure you add some veg into your smoothie, not just fruit), for example green smoothie. 

The one situation that is different is if you are training in the morning. You probably do not have time to eat and wait 2 hours for your food to digest. I also do not like training on an empty stomach as It makes my performance worse. If I am training in the morning, before breakfast, I like to have a square of dark chocolate or half a banana. This gives me the energy I need without filling me up.

The final thing I like to have is a cup of coffee about 30 minutes before a workout. This is because the caffeine in coffee improves your strength and performance during your workout as I explain in this article.

The best advice I can give is trying what works best for you. Everybody is different and prefer different things. Hopefully this article has given you some ideas and advice to help you.

TAGS: fitnesslifestylenutrition