I Am Ready For An Awesome Workout... What Do I Eat Before???

• Before I answer that question, the best food depends on WHEN you eat it before you work out!
• I teach 3 classes a week at 5:45 am.  I don't have time to sit and eat a nice breakfast and digest it before I start the class....   Eating something before you hit the gym seems logical because you want to feel strong and energized for your workout. You don't want any hunger pangs side tracking your focus during your workout, right???  
• However, eating the wrong foods or eating too much can leave you with a case of indigestion, nausea, or make you feel more tired than before you started. You need to make sure you eat the right foods in the right amount before workout in order feel good and maximize your efforts and results.
• The closer to you are to your workout, the more you want to consider eating carbohydrates in lieu of fat or protein. Now, because carbohydrates are digested in the small intestines and fats and protein are broken down in the stomach, the carbs are absorbed and utilized quicker.  This means cramping and indigestion are more likely when you work out with a stomach full of fat or protein rich foods.

***The rule is this: The less time it is until your workout, the less you should eat. This makes sense: It takes time to digest food, so you don't want to wolf down a huge breakfast right before getting on the treadmill. Those planning to run the century ride, triathlon or marathon will usually eat a huge dinner the night before. But those planning to go for a three-mile jog at 5:30 a.m. may be fine with just an orange eaten about 20 minutes before.**** 

It's good to mix a little protein with your pre-workout snack...  Try an apple with a nut butter on it.  A handful of nuts with a banana is great, too.  Try some berries with a little yogurt or a whey protein shake made with fresh berries.

1. Refer back to the rule above...  don't over eat, you will get cramping and possible indigestion, which will inhibit your work out. 
2.  What you eat after the workout is even more important than what you eat before it. That's when your muscles are hungry and your depleted glycogen (muscle sugar) stores need replacing. The "golden hour" after the workout is the time when those muscles soak up nutrients most effectively. Choose what you eat after the workout with just as much care as you choose that pre-workout snack.  PLEASE REFER TO MY BLOG POST FROM APRIL 29 ABOUT POST WORKOUT FOODS THAT WORK FOR YOU!!

Thank you IVILLAGE, Quality Health and Body Building  for your information!!