What to eat before, during and after training?

It is undeniable that proper nutrition has a significant impact on our energy levels, mood, and efficiency at work. If you train regularly, you should pay even more attention to what you eat before and after your workout. Is it better to exercise on an empty stomach or to eat earlier to feel the surge of energy? Does the time of day affect meal composition? Can you satisfy your appetite with even a small snack during a long workout? Sooner or later, you will begin to ask yourself a number of questions that are hard to answer. It is high time to dispel your doubts – see what is acceptable, what you should avoid and how to compose a diet that will speed up rather than slow down exercise results.

What to eat before training? The time of day matters

Establishing a single eating pattern before a workout is counterintuitively very difficult. It all depends on the time you go running, to the gym or to a yoga class. We can make a general assumption that it's best to eat a medium-sized meal (around 600 kcal) 2 hours before training or a smaller snack (100-200 kcal) an hour before. In this way, you will ensure that the food values have the effect of balancing muscle glycogen levels and prepare your body for exercise. Eating immediately before physical activity will increase the insulin secreted by the pancreas, causing earlier fatigue and hypoglycaemia.

If you train first thing in the morning, try to eat a large and nutritious breakfast to wake up the whole body. Skipping the morning meal causes your metabolism to slow down, resulting in less power during exercise and slower calorie burning. The meal should be composed of carbohydrates, i.e. simple sugars, complex sugars and saccharides. Anyone interested in dieting and proper nutrition knows that complex carbohydrates, which take longer to digest, provide the most energy. It is good to base your morning meal on them. On the other hand, it is worth providing a small portion of simple carbohydrates to wake up your body.

The post-workout meal in the afternoon should consist of the same elements but with fewer calories. If you have trained in the evening, eat a healthy snack rather than an actual meal, as you will not have time to burn it off.

Before your workout, we recommend eating:

Glycaemic index before training

If you would like to take an even more in-depth approach, you should explore the basics of the glycaemic index. It is nothing other than a simple indication of how quickly your blood glucose level rises after eating a particular product. This is not only important for diabetics, but also for people who care about staying slim and training regularly. Before exercising, it is important to choose products with a low glycaemic index in order to avoid blood glucose spikes that cause a sudden short-term rise and subsequent drop in energy. To prevent this, it is best to choose products that do not exceed a 20 GI level, such as avocados, courgettes, eggs, fish or cucumbers. It is a good idea to find special charts available on the Internet and to draw up a list of acceptable products to use while preparing balanced meals. It is also worthwhile to recap your knowledge on how to live a healthy lifestyle and compose balanced meals.

During training – refrain from eating

Few people are able to eat during training, but when exercising for long periods of time, you can start to feel hungry. To avoid this, it is a good idea to increase food portions before your workout and drink more fluids. However, it is not advisable to consume any food during exercise, as the body can react negatively by channeling all its energy elsewhere. Eating can even cause diarrhoea, stomach ulcers and significant discomfort in the stomach.

However, there are no contraindications, and it is even recommended to consume water during exercise. However, you shouldn't overdo the amount and drink 1–2 glasses of fluids depending on the duration of the workout. If you are lacking in energy, you can try isotonic drinks designed to balance water and electrolyte levels during exercise. You can buy them or prepare them at home by mixing water with honey and lemon.

After training – take care of your body

An important step after a workout is to nourish the body with vitamins used during carbohydrate oxidation (B1, B2) and those that have fought against free radicals produced due to accelerated respiration (A, C, E and beta-carotene). During exercise, you also lose many minerals that affect the body's regeneration and recovery process. For best results, have a meal 30–60 minutes after exercising, regardless of the time of day. Also, be aware that the immediate rebuilding of glycogen stores is particularly important when you train frequently and for long periods, i.e. the interval between sessions is less than 8–10 hours, or they last more than an hour.

Right at this point is the best time to introduce meals with a high glycaemic index to replenish glycogen stores in the muscles. They are a quick source of energy and trigger the release of greater amounts of insulin, which transports nutrients to the cells. When composing a post-workout meal, it is a good idea to supplement protein by reaching for high-protein products such as curd, milk, lean meat, fish or soya.

In this case, the time of day when you train is less important than in the case of a pre-workout meal, although if you exercise late, you should reduce your calorie intake. Your body metabolism is still accelerated, but you should not overeat to avoid gaining extra weight.

After your workout, we recommend eating:

Remember to rehydrate

Ensuring adequate fluid supply to the body is a separate issue. A separate article could be written on the topic of water, so we will only give you general tips on body hydration. First and foremost, fluids help maintain strength, increase endurance during exercise and make training sessions more effective.

Two hours before physical activity, drink one to two glasses of water. Afterwards, you can have a glass of water several minutes before the start of your workout, but do not increase the intake to avoid discomfort during vigorous movements. During a workout, depending on its intensity, you can consume 1 to 2 glasses of water and, 30 minutes later, another one. Of course, these are guideline values, as some people prefer to drink less before and during training to replenish fluids only after the workout. There is nothing wrong with this, as your body will let you know what is right for you. You just need to learn to listen to it.

Diet and training always go hand in hand

Adequate nutrition before and after exercise greatly affects how you feel during your workout and how quickly your body regenerates. If you are not convinced about food having such a huge impact, try eating a heavy meal before your workout and attempt intense exercise. The next day, follow the nutritional recommendations and compare the results from both days – you will definitely see and feel the changes. If your training results are unsatisfactory, the problem may lie in your diet – exercise is no excuse for eating sweets and fatty foods.

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