While plotting your diet plan, it is important that you eat right before your workout session. If you fail to do this, you will not perform well for the workout and will also not recover that quickly.
The most important times for you to fuel your body are the few hours before you exert extra energy. So do not ignore these pre-workout considerations while evaluating your nutritional requirements.
1. Your muscles need protein for support, so consume at least 10 grams of lean proteins before a workout.
2. Time your healthy meals properly. If you plan to immediately head to the gym, opt for simple carbs for instant energy. If you plan to go after an hour or so, opt for complex carbs which take longer to digest.
3. Reduce your fat intake as too much of fat before a workout session makes you feel slow and sluggish. Maintain your fat intake to less than 5 grams for this meal.
4. As the body only uses glucose as a fuel source for intense exercise, eating something before any intense training is a must for optimal performance. If you don’t, you’ll crash fast and so hard that you may even start feeling shaky and weak.
5. Avoid eating too much fruit as though healthy in general, if fruits are eaten pre-workout, they can cause digestive distress.
6. It’s better to prepare your pre-workout meal the night before. This way the chances of your skipping it are reduced.
7. Drink lots of water as it’s important you stay hydrated during your session. So drink at least 8 ounces of water before your workout and continue drinking water throughout the session.
8. Consider eating whey isolate protein powder as it’s convenient and delivers nutrients to the muscle tissue quickly for your coming workout.
9. Don’t eat more than 300 calories of food. This is usually sufficient for most people and anything extra causes cramping.
10. If you have a habit of working out first thing in the morning, you could drink a protein shake. This is the easiest way for you to get the nutrition you require without feeling too full to move.
11. Learn to read your body signals and understand your body. You will find that some foods tend to work better for you than others as your pre-workout meal.
12. Avoid eating vegetables before a workout as they have too much fiber which will just sit in your system while you work out. Vegetables are better kept for a later time during the day.
13. Avoid eating high-volume foods or foods that take up large amount of space in the stomach as they just cause discomfort, especially if the sport or activity you do requires lots of different movements like yoga.
In a nutshell
It is important that you take time out to plan your pre-workout meal; it will serve you well in the long run. If you eat properly before your workouts, you will feel much better after the workout. Moreover, the food you consume will kick-start your recovery so that your body makes maximum use of the time and energy you devote to the gym.
No matter what the goal you are working at now, it is important that you understand pre-workout nutrition to ensure your body is healthy and happy as you go on increasing your fitness level.
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