Workout makes you feel tired? What to eat pre-workout, post-workout and during the workout

 

Most of you would know and if don’t then I am a part time personal trainer as well. And I keep getting questions around health and nutritions. So here is some information that I have compiled for about what you can eat or drink before, during and after your workout. Hope this is useful.

 

This is my favourite sweet (fruit crumble with ice cream) just for the weekend 🙂

 

Imp: Exercising in a fasted state (8 hours since the last meal) results in a greater proportion of fat being used as the exercise fuel compared to doing the same workload after a carbohydrate-containing meal or snack.

The following foods are suitable to eat 3-4 hours before exercise:	The following snacks are suitable to eat 1-2 hours before exercise:	The following foods are suitable to eat if there is less than 1 hour before exercise:
•crumpets with jam or honey + flavoured milk •baked potato + cottage cheese filling + glass of milk •baked beans on toast •breakfast cereal with milk •bread roll with cheese/meat filling + banana •fruit salad with fruit-flavoured yoghurt •pasta or rice with a sauce based on low-fat ingredients (e.g. tomato, vegetables, lean meat)	•liquid meal supplement •milk shake or fruit smoothie •sports bars (check labels for carbohydrate and protein content) •breakfast cereal with milk •cereal bars, Energy/ Granola bars •fruit-flavoured yoghurt • Bananas or other fresh fruit	•sports drink •carbohydrate gel •cordial •sports bars •jelly lollies

 Tip:

• A general guide is to have a meal about 3-4 hours before exercise or a lighter snack about 1-2 hours before exercise. You need to experiment to find the timing, amount and make up that best suits your individual needs.
• If you need to eat close to exercise, opt for a snack that provides at least 70 g of carbohydrate.  There is some evidence to suggest that small amounts of carbohydrate (<50 g) are more likely to cause problems in sensitive individuals than larger amounts.  This is probably because the small intake of carbohydrate is swamped by the carbohydrate use.  Larger intakes will compensate for a greater rate of use, leaving the athlete with a net gain in available carbohydrate.
• Exercising in a fasted state (8 hours since the last meal) results in a greater proportion of fat being used as the exercise fuel compared to doing the same workload after a carbohydrate-containing meal or snack

 Drinks:

• During Workout
  Unless you are running hard for extending periods of time, gatorade is completely unnecessary and can actually hamper your workouts. Stick with water, about 6-8 ounces every 30 minutes.
• Post-Workout
  Within 10 minutes of finishing your workout, you should again be having some form of complex carb or carb shake. Don’t miss this window.
• After 1 hour
  Lean meat or fish with light veggie and more water.