The Best Food Before Exercising

Your body is a machine whose performance depends on the quality and quantity of fuel provided. If you attempt to run your body at a high level while feeding it unhealthy items such as fast food and processed foods, your performance will surely suffer. Prior to a training session is your final chance to maximize performance by providing your body with a substantial amount of nutrient-dense foods, giving you sufficient strength and energy to endure the workout while recovering in a timely fashion.

Pre-Workout Theory

The goal of your pre-workout meal should be to provide your body with a food source that can be digested fairly rapidly so that you will not have to tap your energy reserves to power your training session. Generally speaking, carbohydrates are digested faster than either proteins or fats, and they have the advantage of being converted into glycogen (blood sugar), which is your body's primary and preferred source of fuel. Considering this, the bulk of your pre-workout meal should contain carbohydrates. However, not just any carbs will do--carbs that are digested too rapidly can cause a blood sugar spike, leaving you unable to complete your training session with 100 percent effort. The ideal carb for your pre-training meal is something that is fairly moderate on the glycemic index scale (the list of how quickly carbs are assimilated by the body). Whole-grain items (breads and pastas), fruits and brown rice can provide your body with steady energy throughout the workout.

Ideally, fat content in your pre-workout meal should be kept as low as possible, as fat slows absorption of nutrients and is relatively difficult to digest. Protein, on the other hand, is vitally necessary. Protein is the building block that your body uses to repair and build muscle tissue. Thus, including some lean protein in your pre-workout meal can help you speed along the process of recovery, even while you are still in the midst of a grueling training session. The best meal for your pre-workout meal should be minimal fats mixed with carbs and protein in a roughly 2:1 ratio.

Pre-Workout Sample Meals

Grilled chicken mixed with brown rice or whole-grain pasta is a good example of a basic pre-workout meal. This should be consumed roughly an hour before training so that you are not still full as you start to lift weights or run, as this could negatively affect your performance due to discomfort. An alternative to eating a solid-food meal prior to training is the consumption of a protein smoothie, prepared with whey protein (a fast-digesting protein) blended together with fresh fruits (to provide quick-acting carbs). As liquid meals generally digest faster than solid meals, you could probably consume this as close as a half-hour to your workout and not have any issues.