The Best Pre-Workout Foods To Keep You Energised
Listen as an audio post:
The Best Pre-Workout Foods To Keep You Energised
Wondering what you should be eating before your workout to make the most of it? By eating the right types of foods before you start exercising, you can ensure you have enough stamina and strength to hit your fitness goals.
Let’s take a look at some of the best pre-workout foods to include in your diet.
What should I eat before a workout?
When it comes to pre-workout nutrition, you want to make sure you’re providing your body with carbohydrates and protein. Depending on your workout length and intensity, you may also add a small serve of healthy fats for extra fuel.
Fuelling up with carbs before your workout helps to increase your glycogen stores. Glycogen is what your muscle uses for energy, particularly for shorter workouts and high-intensity workouts. Low glycogen stores can lead to fatigue and lower intensity exercise because your body doesn’t have the preferred form of fuel.
Consuming protein before your workout can increase muscle synthesis, improve muscle recovery, and increase your strength, lean body mass and muscle performance.
The top foods to eat before you work out
Now that you know the macros for a great pre-workout snack or meal, let’s look at my favourite foods to include before exercise.
Oats
The humble oat has a lot to offer when it comes to pre-workout nutrition. Oats are high in fibre, which means the carbohydrates are slow-releasing, giving you energy over a longer period of time. This makes them ideal for longer training sessions.
Oats also contain key nutrients for supporting energy and recovery including B group vitamins and antioxidants.
Bananas
These are a favourite with runners and endurance athletes, but bananas have plenty to offer no matter what your exercise of choice. Bananas are an excellent source of simple carbohydrates, which means they deliver energy quickly for your muscles to use.
They also contain a decent amount of potassium, which plays an important role in muscle function. Low potassium levels can increase your risk of muscle cramps, so this is a great snack if you tend to cramp up during exercise.
Eggs
If you’re looking for a quick source of protein before your workout, eggs should be at the top of your list. It’s up to you if you eat the whole egg or the egg whites only – both offer benefits in terms of recovery and muscle synthesis.
If you’re looking to lose weight, including eggs as part of a high-protein diet can also promote retention of your lean body mass as your body weight drops.
Greek yoghurt with some fresh fruit
This is a favourite combo in the fitness community, and for good reason. The Greek yoghurt delivers a healthy serve of protein, and the fresh fruit ticks off your carbohydrate needs.
Plus you’re also getting some bonus ingredients in there such as antioxidants and probiotics that help with your recovery and overall wellbeing.
Dried fruit
Another quick and easy option to try out is dried fruit. There are plenty of options including raisins, berries, apricots, figs, apples or banana.
However, you do want to be cautious with your potion of dried fruit. It packs a lot of sugar and carbohydrates into a small package, so you might only need a few pieces to get your pre-workout carbs in.
Another option you might see at your local supermarket is freeze-dried fruit. This is a great alternative if you prefer something lighter and crunchier, as its nutritional value is similar to dried fruit.
Smoothie
If you’re after something that feels light but packs in the macros, a smoothie might be your best bet. It’s also a good way to ensure you get some pre-workout hydration in.
Make sure you’re smart with your smoothie ingredients. You’ll want to have a source of protein and some carbs – think:
Protein powder & banana
Yoghurt & berries
Milk/high protein milk alternative & mango
You might also like to add in a serve of veg such as spinach to boost your antioxidant intake.
Meal options
What if you need something a little bit more substantial to power you through? Whether you need to get more calories in to build muscle, or you are going for a longer workout session, you can look at having more of a mini-meal to fuel you.
For example, you could have:
Scrambled eggs on wholegrain toast
Grilled or baked chicken with sweet potato and broccoli
Salmon with rice
How long before my workout should I eat?
This depends on the type of workout you are doing and whether you’re having a light snack or a meal to power you through a long session.
If you’re just having a light snack, opt for around 30 minutes before your workout. If you are eating a full meal, it’s best to wait 90 minutes so you don’t feel bloated or unwell when you work out.
Looking for nutrition tips and healthy hacks to help you feel better?
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
Check out my free guide to healthy eating to design your own version of a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel energised and vibrant, or hire me to work my magic on your health through mindset, nutrition, and movement.
While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of medical advice.