When incorporating exercise into a daily routine, it can be difficult to determine what to eat and when in order to have energy for exercising without encouraging an upset stomach or any other set backs. A lot of times, this can take some experimentation to determine what works best for you, but here are some things that I have found seem to work well in general for before and after (and possibly during) a workout!
Before exercise, I ideally eat about two hours before beginning in order to give myself time to digest the food beforehand, but when in a time crunch, an hour beforehand is doable as well! If you are worried, maybe eat a little less, but definitely do not work out on a completely empty stomach or when hungry because you will run out of energy, be distracted by the hunger, and not be able to work out as effectively! The best things to eat are carbs because they are processed quickly. In addition, protein can be good, I try to keep the fats and dairy products to a minimum immediately before exercise. An example of a good pre-exercise meal might be peanut butter on toast, an apple, banana, pretzels, or any combination of these! In the mornings I find that oatmeal (made with water and steel cut oats) are good to prepare me for workouts! Finally, drink water before working out to keep yourself hydrated throughout!
During a workout, you typically do not need/want to eat anything, but if you know you will be exercising for an extended period of time, an easily processed snack like pretzels or dry original cheerios can give a little energy boost during a workout. Also for these strenuous times, some sports drinks or vitamin water can be a good idea as well! Finally, during a workout be sure to drink water!
After exercise it is very important to nourish well! Your metabolism remains boosted for about an hour after exercising, so eating within that time will allow you to take advantage of a prime time to take in as much nutrients as possible from your food! The monster shake recipe is a good post-workout snack, as well as something like peanut butter and a banana, or a glass of milk. High protein is typically the best choice!
Good luck and happy innovative tasting :)
Before exercise, I ideally eat about two hours before beginning in order to give myself time to digest the food beforehand, but when in a time crunch, an hour beforehand is doable as well! If you are worried, maybe eat a little less, but definitely do not work out on a completely empty stomach or when hungry because you will run out of energy, be distracted by the hunger, and not be able to work out as effectively! The best things to eat are carbs because they are processed quickly. In addition, protein can be good, I try to keep the fats and dairy products to a minimum immediately before exercise. An example of a good pre-exercise meal might be peanut butter on toast, an apple, banana, pretzels, or any combination of these! In the mornings I find that oatmeal (made with water and steel cut oats) are good to prepare me for workouts! Finally, drink water before working out to keep yourself hydrated throughout!
During a workout, you typically do not need/want to eat anything, but if you know you will be exercising for an extended period of time, an easily processed snack like pretzels or dry original cheerios can give a little energy boost during a workout. Also for these strenuous times, some sports drinks or vitamin water can be a good idea as well! Finally, during a workout be sure to drink water!
After exercise it is very important to nourish well! Your metabolism remains boosted for about an hour after exercising, so eating within that time will allow you to take advantage of a prime time to take in as much nutrients as possible from your food! The monster shake recipe is a good post-workout snack, as well as something like peanut butter and a banana, or a glass of milk. High protein is typically the best choice!
Good luck and happy innovative tasting :)