The importance of eating before exercise/workout
Remember it is also important to drink water, your body cannot function properly without enough water.
When exercising or training, it is important to fuel your body with adequate nutrients before the workout activity because it helps keep your performance and energy at optimal levels.
In general you need to eat and stay hydrated before engaging in any form of exercising.
What you eat can help energise and make your workout better; in essence it is important to know what foods to eat before exercising/workout in order to maximise your workout one step further to the next level.
Poor eating habits can hinder/undermine your best efforts to stay fit, plus it can also cause muscle loss if you regularly work on an empty stomach.
When you are hungry or your stomach is empty your body goes into survival mode and draws protein from muscle instead from your kidney and liver where your body normally looks for protein. When this happens your body loses muscle mass in turn slowing down your metabolism and making it harder to burn fat/calories.
Food eaten before exercise should provide carbohydrates. It should also be low in fat and moderate in fibre to make digestion easier and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal discomfort.
For most exercise sessions, the emphasis is on carbohydrates and fluid for the pre-event meal. However, it is also useful to continue to consider other nutritional goals when choosing a pre-exercise meal. This may mean including foods that include protein, vitamins and minerals.
The best way to approach this is to ask yourself ‘what does your body need and how much in order to do be energised during exercise and for how long?’. Here are some of the food types that are recommended as pre workout meals:
- Low In fat
- Low Carbs
- Low fibre
- Rich in Protein and Omega 3
Remember it is also important to drink water, your body cannot function properly without enough water, which comprises 60 percent of your body weight.
Water helps transport oxygen, fat and glucose to your working muscles, regulate your body temperature, digest food and eliminate waste products. Besides water, certain fruits and vegetables also fulfill your fluid requirements in addition to providing healthful nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein.
The exact amount of water needed by our bodies differs from individual to individual but it is recommended that you stay hydrated at all times.
