What to eat before exercising

In the pursuit of better health and fitness, many people finetune their nutrition and exercise routine, eventually merging the two. Then comes the question: Should I eat before working out? When? How much?

Nailing these facets of preexercise nutrition can help you make the most of your workout and prepare your body to recover for the next one.

Eating before exercising is recommended, especially for exercise lasting longer than 45 minutes. The myth that exercising without any food in your stomach helps the body burn more fat is just that — a myth. That isn’t how the body works.

One study analyzed changes in fat and muscle in two groups of young women: One group completed a four-week exercise program in a fasted state; the other consumed a meal before each exercise session. Both groups lost weight and body fat, and researchers found no significant differences between the two groups’ outcomes. They concluded that not eating before exercise does not increase weight loss or fat loss compared to exercising in a fed state.

Many people who want to lose weight look at exercise as a way to help increase the amount of calories expended every day. Studies have shown that the number of calories burned after exercise increases substantially if you have eaten beforehand.

Additionally, focusing on pre-exercise nutrition can enhance your immunity. Highintensity exercise can suppress your immune system and response, especially if you do this type of exercise regularly or for long periods of time. By eating a meal or snack before, you’re setting yourself up to fight this immune suppression, keep your body strong and recovering well.

So let’s talk about what to eat and when. The main source of fuel for your brain and body is carbohydrates, which is going to be the key component to preexercise nutrition. When we’re moving, our muscles use fatty acids and carbs to produce energy, which fuels muscle contractions. We frequently shift between fat and carbs as our energy source, but it takes more time to break down fats to use for energy. Therefore, the longer and harder we exercise, the more the body will rely on carbs.

We store carbs in three places: the muscle, the liver and the bloodstream. Carbs in the muscle and liver are stored as glycogen. Our muscle stores are most significant, about 1,200 to 2,000 calories worth of glycogen, while the liver can store about 300 to 400 calories. The carbs in our bloodstream come in at about 60 to 80 calories and help us maintain our blood sugar.

If you’re exercising for more than an hour or several times a day, pre-exercise nutrition becomes more important and can make a huge difference in how you feel and in your performance. It’s best not to eat a huge meal right before your workout, so you want to have something more substantial spaced out between one and four hours before. The specific timing varies depending on your schedule and stomach.

The emphasis of this meal should be mainly on carbs and protein, which will provide your body the building blocks for muscle. It also has been postulated that pre-exercise protein could contribute to a better muscle-building response after exercise, providing benefits both before and after working out.

The consequences of skipping this meal can last throughout the day. For example, one study demonstrated that forgoing a breakfast with a good source of carbs can hinder exercise performance later in the evening, even when the missed calories from breakfast were made up at lunch. Some excellent examples of meals to consume in the preexercise window include Greek yogurt with fruit, three to four eggs with several slices of toast or a PB&J sandwich with a glass of milk.

The closer you get to your exercise session, the more you want to minimize eating too much fiber or fat. Normally, we love fiber, which is beneficial to a healthy diet. But fiber does take longer to digest and produces gas while it’s breaking down, which can be uncomfortable and problematic when working out. Similarly, fat sits in your stomach for a longer period of time.

To adjust your fiber intake, choose less fibrous carbs like white bread over whole wheat, or white rice over brown rice. Fiber gives whole grains/wheat and brown rice its dark color. When it is removed, the lighter colored counterparts remain. Fibrous whole-wheat and grain products are the best choices most of the time, as they provide more nutrients. Less fibrous carbs should be chosen as a strategic nutrition decision when you’re nearing exercise. When reading food labels, try to aim for fewer than 5 grams of carbs per serving.

As you approach the hour of exercise, a snack of concentrated, low-fiber carbs will provide that extra bit of energy that can keep your gas tank from hitting empty. Since fiber slows digestion, we need fast-digesting snacks that can be used as an immediate energy source.

Snacks like applesauce, dried fruit, white toast with jelly, fruit snacks or even two to three pieces of fruit are excellent choices. If you’re exercising in the heat and losing a lot of salt through sweat, pretzels are a handy pre-exercise snack. Drinking 8 ounces of a sports drink can also do the job, as the carbs in these beverages are designed to be digested quickly and will promote better hydration. This pre-exercise snack does not have to be anything big or crazy; just a little of the right something can go a long way.

You may have to experiment to figure out what agrees with you best and works well with your routine.

IStockphoto Concentrated, low-fiber carbs, such as applesauce or fruit, will provide that extra bit of energy needed to keep going during a workout.

Getty Images As your exercise session nears, avoid eating too much fiber or fat, which take longer to break down and may cause discomfort.