Are there certain foods you should eat before a workout? Maybe some magic foods that will help fuel you and make a burpee feel, well, less like torture? There are, but first a quick (and basic) physiology lesson. From the moment you put food in your mouth it is being digested. The digestive process starts in the mouth and different macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat) digest differently, for different jobs in the body.
A carbohydrate-rich food (such as bread, cereal, fruit) gets broken down into the simple sugar glucose for your muscles to use as fuel. Muscles run first, and best, on glucose.
A protein-rich food (such as Greek yogurt, meat, eggs, protein powder) is used to build and repair the body tissue, while a food high in fat is dissolved first in the intestinal cavity and then carried on from there.
Each of these macronutrients are important for good health. However, when it comes to preworkout nutrition there are two that reign, and a surprise that has science scratching its head.
First, if you need a snack before a workout aim for one that has both carbohydrates and protein. The carbs will help fuel your muscles and the protein will aid with recovery. Stay away from high-fat foods as they could cause cramping.
Some easy solutions to a pre-workout snack could be: yogurt and berries, a hard-boiled egg and an apple, banana with some peanut butter.
How close to a workout should you have a snack? About 45 to 60 minutes beforehand, but play around with that. There are many people I know that can't workout with food in their stomach.
A couple of things to watch out for during your workout, which are usually food triggered, are nausea and dizziness. If you start to feel nauseous during your workout, chances are you ate too close to your session. If you begin to feel dizzy, or lightheaded, you ate too early.
Different workouts also call for different ratios of carbs and protein. For example, long cardio workouts (like training for a marathon) need a higher carb ratio and should be eaten at least 45 minutes before you lace up your runners. This will give the body enough time to breakdown the glucose found in the carbs and get it loaded up in the blood stream, so when your runners hit the pavement you are fuelled and ready to go.
Cardio workouts that are under an hour don't really need a snack, providing you are eating properly throughout the day.
Workouts that are strength-based (like weights, circuits, boot camps) aim for a snack at least 45 to 60 minutes beforehand with 20 to 25 grams of carbohydrates and 10 to 18 grams of protein.
Again, though, if you are eating healthy enough throughout the day, and you are exercising for better fitness (as opposed to a competitive sport), you really don't need anything before your workout.
The latest research and buzz in the gym? Cardio workouts in a fasted state. These are workouts that are done on an empty stomach and are gaining in popularity.
Research is now suggesting that if you're trying to lose weight doing a cardio workout in a fasted state (i.e. as soon as you get up in the morning) allows you to burn more fat. This is because first thing in the morning, after fasting all night, your body's natural hormones have the perfect profile for fat loss.
Your insulin levels are low, your blood sugar is low (forcing the body to draw on its fat reserves) and your growth hormone levels are at the highest they will ever be when awake. All of this makes for the perfect fat-loss storm.
But there are many experts that disagree and urge people to work out with something in their stomach. Fasted cardio training is new and will need time to pan out with science.
My advice: do whatever will make you work out.
I do at least twice a week cardio workouts fasted. It works for me. I also know of a lot of other people who prefer an empty stomach when exercising - for the simple fact that a workout feels better without food sloshing around in the gut.
Bottom line: keep moving and keep moving daily - with or without a snack.
PJ Wren is a local personal trainer and writer who also owns The Studio in Ladner. Join her Outdoor Bootcamp kicking off July 3. Details at www.thestudio.ca.
