Before any workout you want to make sure you prepare your body for your next sweat session. The reason behind this is if you do not have enough calories in your system before you workout, it may cause you to feel sick or make you want to cut your workout in half. Choosing the appropriate snack before you work out can make a huge difference in the energy you have and how you perform during your workout.
For this reason you want to choose a snack that is healthy and will not give you an upset stomach. An upset stomach and ultimately ruin your workout. For this reason you want to eat a healthy pre workout snack to help you get prepared for your workout. Here are some dos and don’ts on how to choose your pre workout snacks.
Dos
- Put it in a shake. If you have no time for a pre workout snack put it in a shake and consume it before you workout. This will give you the equivalent nutrients without being hard to do.
- Take your favorite vegetables and fruits blend it all together with milk. If you want to make an even more powerful blend add raw oatmeal to your shake and avoid adding sugars.
- Consume carbs. Carbs give your body fuel and are easy to digest. So you want to consume a balanced snack that includes some sort of carb with protein. This will give you the right amount of calories for the perfect pre workout snack.
- Stay low on calories. Do stay between 150-200 calories when you choose your snack. This will help you get enough calories while keeping you in the calorie range that you want to stay in.
- Eat your pre workout on time. Eat your pre workout snack 30-45 minutes before you workout. This is the best time to eat your snack as it gives your body time to refuel and get the nutrients that it needs.
Don’t
- Avoid eating anything with fiber in it. Leave the fiber for after your workout not before. The reason behind this is different people react differently to fiber.
- Many of us can digest fiber without a problem and some of us cannot. Making us feel bloated and gassy. An upset stomach can actually prevent you from working out to your full potential.
- Don’t consume a full meal. Think of your pre workout snack as just that. A snack that will give your body enough fuel to think about workout. If you eat too much, you may feel sluggish and not wanting to workout at all.
- Avoid waiting too long to work out after your pre workout snack. This can make your pre workout snack less effective as you will have waited too long to get the full benefits from it.
- Don’t eat an entire protein bar. An entire protein bar contains 15-20 grams of sugar and between 200-300 calories in them. So ensure that you have only consume half and leave the other half for after your workout.
- Avoid sugary substances. Sugary substances do not give you the proper nutrition or fuel that you need in a pre workout. So you want to stay from them as much as possible.
Making sure you consume a healthy pre workout snack is a great way to make sure you fuel your body before you workout. Do you have any specific pre workout snacks that you prefer to eat? If you do please tell us what they are. We love to hear any pre workout snack ideas.
And you can find your favorite pre workout snacks here:
