Sweat, Eat, Repeat
There's a ton of info out there on sports nutrition—what to eat, what to avoid, and how to fuel your workouts. Honestly, just sorting through it all feels like a workout! So, let's keep it simple. Here are some high-level tips to make sure your meals and your workouts are playing on the same team, not competing against each other.
Benefits of Exercise
Before we get into nutrition and working out, here’s a little reminder of just a few of the wonderful things that exercise can do for the body:
strengthens your muscles (including your heart) and bones
improves cardiovascular function
helps maintain a healthy body composition
sound sleep
increases serotonin, your body’s natural anti-depressant
can lower risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension to name a few
it’s FUN!! (and if it’s not, find something that brings the fun, not something you dread - that’s a blog post for later!)
So if you are active or thinking of starting a workout or exercise routine, here are a few guidelines around what to eat and when to eat to optimize your workouts.
What Do I Eat?
Everyone’s workout goals and needs are different. That being said, here are some high-level guidelines:
If you are exercising for general health and fitness, and have modest goals or you don’t have unique needs, focus on food quality and quantity. Think minimally processed proteins, organic veggies, quality carbs, and healthy fats. Eat slowly, and stop when satisfied.
Pre-Exercise Needs
(St. Pierre, 2014)
If eating 2-3 hours before training:
Protein - helps maintain or increase muscle size; can reduce muscle damage; gets amino acids into your blood to optimize muscle building
Carbs - the fuel for your training, and also helps with recovery; preserves muscle and liver glycogen; along with protein, encourages insulin release (that’s why it’s important to eat protein with your carbs)
Fats - While they don’t improve or weaken performance, they can help slow digestion which helps with even blood glucose and insulin levels.
Some suggestions:
(Mohr, 2019)
PB&J sandwich
Greek yogurt & berries
Apple & peanut butter or almond butter
Note that these all have protein and carbs - protein for the building and repair and carbs for the fuel!
If eating 0-60 minutes before training:
smaller more easily digestible meal like a shake that contains protein and carbs and a little bit of fat (think flax seeds or avocado)
During Exercise Needs
(St. Pierre, 2014)
The most important thing you will need here is to stay hydrated, ideally with water, not sports drinks. If you do want a sport drink, you can make your own, which will be much healthier. There are exceptions, like when you are working out intensely for longer than two hours in the heat - then you will want to rely on more than water alone to ensure your sodium levels drop too low. This is a serious condition (hyponatremia) and should not be taken lightly.
Protein - this is only really necessary if you are doing long, intense workouts or multiple sessions a day. The amount you need is relatively small - about 15 g/hr during training to to help prevent muscle breakdown. For workouts less than an hour, this isn’t really necessary.
Carbs - if you are an endurance athlete or are highly active or are looking for big muscle gains, carbs can be good during exercise. The amounts depends on if you are including protein in the mix - if you are, you need less carbs per hour.
Fats - Avoid during exercise, since they are hard to digest.
Amounts will vary depending on the length and type of activity for all of these suggestions. Working with a nutrition consultant (hi!) or a sports nutrition specialist can help you work through these numbers.
Post Exercise Needs
(St. Pierre, 2014)
Eating after exercise or training is important for recovery, refueling, and muscle building. Don’t ignore your after training meals! The first 30 minutes or so after a workout is a perfect window to start replenishing carbs to re-up the muscle glycogen that training can deplete. (Rosenbloom & Coleman 2012).
It is, no surprise, important to rehydrate after training. A good way to measure the fluid you lost is to weigh yourself pre and post workout (without clothes) for workouts that are an hour or longer. You do not want to lose a lot of body weight during activity, and especially more than 2%. If you do, drink about 24 oz of water for each pound lost. Ideally, you want your urine to look like lemonade or lighter. (How to Perfect Your Hydration Game for Every Stage of Exercise, n.d.)
Coconut water is a fantastic option, as it also contains electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium which can all be depleted during sweaty workouts.
Protein - again, protein helps prevent protein breakdown, and leads to maintained or even increased muscle tissue. These proteins do not need to be fast-acting (powders) to be beneficial.
Carbs - Minimally processed whole food carbs and some fruit helps restore liver glycogen. There is no need to binge on refined carbs to spike your insulin (there are of course, exceptions to this, like endurance athletes with sessions that are within 8 hours of one another. Always check with a nutrition professional or medical practitioner).
Fats - Fats can help with net protein balance after a workout. Look for healthy sources of fat. While fats can slow the absorption and digestion of nutrients, studies show that the speed of absorption is not as important as once thought.
Some suggestions:
Fruit smoothie with fresh or frozen fruit, peanut or almond butter, milk of choice - here is a delicious recipe from a friend that I LOVE (the friend and the recipe!)
grilled chicken sandwich on whole grain bread or in a wrap with a cottage cheese or baked potato side
For more insight on the info above, please read the fantastic articles linked in the references below.
The information provided in or through this Website pertaining to your own health or wellness, or exercise, or any other aspect of your life is not intended to be a substitute for the professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by your own Medical Practitioner or Mental Health Practitioner. Please refer to the disclaimer section of this site.
I hope this has helped you get a top-level view of nutrition and how it plays into exercise and training. If you would like to learn more or work one-on-one to put together a program for you, reach out and let’s see if we can make it happen!
St. Pierre, B. (2014, April 14). Workout nutrition explained. What to eat before, during, and after exercise. | Precision Nutrition. Precision Nutrition; Precision Nutrition. https://www.precisionnutrition.com/workout-nutrition-explained
Mohr, C. (2019, September 19). Timing Your Pre and Post Workout Nutrition. Www.eatright.org. https://www.eatright.org/fitness/physical-activity/exercise-nutrition/timing-your-pre-and-post-workout-nutrition
How To Perfect Your Hydration Game for Every Stage of Exercise. (n.d.). The Output. https://www.onepeloton.com/blog/best-way-to-hydrate/
Rosenbloom, C., & Coleman, E. 2012. Sports Nutrition:
A Practice Manual for Professionals (5th ed.). Chicago: American Dietetic Association.
