Fuel for Fitness

Many people I have spoken to have created his or her own eating habits before or during exercise. Often times, these habits can in fact, hinder exercise performance and effectiveness. Here is the what should be eaten before, during, and after exercise:

Pre-exercise snack: Your body needs hydration and food to keep your blood sugar level constant. Eating a heavy meal can cause sluggishness, nausea, indigestion, and impaired performance. Eat a filling meal at least three to four hours prior to exercise, giving you enough time to digest. Strive to fuel yourself with carbohydrate rich foods and moderate amounts of lean protein. Avoid high fat meals because it takes much longer to leave your stomach. A sample meal would be a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread and plenty of water.

During exercise: Drinking water throughout your workout is crucial. You must continue to replace the fluids you lose while you exercise. If you are exercising for more than an hour, try to eat 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates every thirty minutes to avoid fatigue, and supply your body with glucose when muscle glycogen runs low. For work outs shorter than an hour, water is adequate.

Post- exercise nourishment: Eating after exercise is very important. You need to recover what you have lost during your workout, and your body is better at storing fuel just after exercising. The most important is hydration to replace what you've sweat out. To rehydrate, eat/drink water, fruit juice, sports drinks, soups and watery fruits and veggies. Recovery foods to re-fuel your system include carbohydrate rich foods, lean protein, and potassium rich foods.

Carbohydrate rich foods:

Pasta
Potatoes
Rice
Breads
Fruit
Yogurt

Potassium rich foods:

Bananas

Oranges

Orange juice

Raisins

Potatoes