Hello, friends!

I absolutely loved reading every single one of your comments on Tuesday’s post. It was great to hear so many of you feel the same way, or are working toward taking a more moderate approach to fitness<3

Staying on the topic of fitness for today’s post, I thought we’d talk a little about Pre-Workout Nutrition.

Every now and then when I’m training a client, I’ll notice her energy levels just aren’t what they usually are. She might be a little shaky, have a headache, or is just feeling lethargic. Guaranteed, the first question out of my mouth is, "when did you last eat?" The second question? "What did you last eat?"

It’s true that the food we eat affects our workouts and sports, but there’s so much information out there surrounding pre- and post-workout nutrition, that it can be a little confusing. From macro ratios to real food vs. protein powder to if pre-workout nutrition is even needed at all – it’s hard to get the story straight when it comes to what you should eat before you sweat.

Is a Pre-Workout Snack even Needed?

As almost all answers to questions in the fitness field, the answer is: it depends on a few things

• How many hours has it been since you last ate?
• What did you last eat?
• How long will your workout be?
• What type of workout will it be?
• At what intensity will you be performing?
• How do you feel? Are you hungry?

For the purposes of this article, let’s say that you’re working out in the morning, your last meal was at 7pm, and you’ll be completing 45 minutes of strength training with a 10 minute metabolic finisher. In this situation, pre-workout nutrition is recommended. If you were going for a short run after work, and had just eaten a sustainable meal at lunch, a pre-workout snack might not be needed.

With your pre-workout nutrition, you have a few different goals.Strength training actually creates microscopic tears in the muscle, as well as glycogen depletion or diminishment.  Your pre-workout snack should be chosen to support these processes, along with provide energy sustainment for your workout.

In order to do that, protein and carbohydrate is needed, as protein aids in muscle repair and recovery, and carbohydrate delivers glucose to the muscles. The amount of these macros depends on your workout length and intensity, but for a 60 minute strength training workout, about 20 grams of protein and 30-40 grams carbohydrate is recommended.

Another factor to consider when choosing a pre-workout snack is digestibility. I love adding a small amount of collard greens to my eggs in the morning, but I probably wouldn’t add a huge amount, or a veggie that’s harder for me to digest like broccoli or Brussels sprouts.

5 Great Pre-Workout Snacks

1. Quick and Easy Microwave Breakfast Burrito: This one’s my favorite, and only takes about 3 minutes to make!

-2 eggs + 2 egg whites

-salt and pepper

-1/4 avocado, mashed

-hot sauce

-1 sprouted grain or whole wheat tortilla

Spray a small glass bowl with nonstick spray, and pour the eggs inside, and beat them with a fork. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute.  Stir, cook for an additional minute, or until eggs are cooked through. Place your tortilla between two damp paper towels and microwave for 20 seconds. Spread the avocado on the tortilla, and then the eggs. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and hot sauce on top.

2. Pumpkin Eggwhite Oatmeal

3. Homemade protein bars:

-No-Bake PB Cranberry Protein Bars

-Pumpkin Protein Bars

-Pre-workout protein bites

–pumpkin protein muffin

4. 1/2 chicken breast and 1 c. sweet potatoes

5. Pumpkin Spice Protein Shake

Now, what foods don’t typically support working out?

-anything super high in fat

-sugary or super starchy foods that will spike your blood sugar

It’s highly individual, but I most certainly do better eating lower carb in the morning and before my workout (the 30 grams mentioned above is fine.) But I also perform horribly when I have DAIRY before my workout!

Some people can handle dairy absolutely fine before a workout, but in general, dairy – especially fat free and low-fat dairy can be pretty insulinogenic, meaning that the lactose, or sugars in the milk can spike the blood sugar for those who tend to have blood sugar issues, leading to low blood sugar (and the shakes, etc.) shortly after. For years, I’d wonder why I got the shakes 20 minutes into my workout while I was downing a whey protein shake with milk just 40 minutes before my workout. Since I have past experiences of blood sugar issues.

In addition to the lactose, many people don’t digest dairy all that well, so having it right before a workout might lead to some digestion issues.