BEST PRE WORKOUT MEALS
Check Out Some of the Best Pre Workout Meals to Eat to Keep Your Energy Levels Up!
 | Working out is an important part of your healthy lifestyle, and you need to make sure you’re fueling your body with the right type of energy – especially right before and right after your intensive exercise session. Eating the right foods before your workout will set up for success with your weight loss or muscle-building goals, so you need to pay attention to the type, and quantity, of the foods you eat a few hours before your workout routine.
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The goal is to have enough energy to get through the workout, but not eat too much that you start to feel ill from the intensive exercises. Here are some of the best foods to eat before you head to the gym or yoga studio:
Whole Grains for Energy
| If you’re undertaking a heavy cardio routine, make sure you eat a small serving of healthy whole grains as your pre-workout meal. This includes foods like oatmeal or brown rice that will supply your body with a steady stream of energy. |  |
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Lean Proteins for Muscle Building
| A small serving of a lean protein like eggs, tofu, or peanut butter can fuel up your muscles and promote muscle building. If you’re heading into a weight lifting routine, make sure you eat a small serving of lean protein so that you can power up your workout. |  |
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Fiber to Control Hunger Pangs
| If you had your last meal several hours ago, make sure you eat some extra fiber as part of your preworkout meal or snack. High-fiber whole grains like oatmeal, or a cereal that contains lots of fiber, combined with soy milk or skim milk are great foods to eat before a workout. These will keep hunger pangs at bay so you can concentrate on your workout. |  |
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Fruit Plus Protein for a Pick-Me-Up
| When you’re heading out for a workout at the end of the workday, you need some quick-acting carbs to raise your energy level. The best source for the pick-me-up is fruit, but you don’t want your blood sugars to rise too quickly, or you’ll be setting yourself up for a crash. Have a piece of fruit with some lean protein like yogurt, or a piece of lowfat cheese, to maintain steady blood sugar levels while fueling up for a workout. |  |
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Protein Bars as a Meal Replacement
| Protein bars can make a good preworkout meal, but you need to eat the right type of bar at the right time. Eating these minutes before a workout can cause cramps because they’re fairly difficult to digest. Stick with all-natural bars such as Clif products so you’re not filling up on sugars and fats. These bars can be a good source of protein, carbs and fats, and are best eaten up to 2 hours before your workout. |  |
It can be challenging to find the right preworkout meal given your fitness goals, but once you find something that works, it will be much easier to plan ahead and get into a healthy habit. Maximize each and every hour you spend at the gym by eating the right types of foods, and look forward to a fun and rewarding workout every time!
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Sabah Karimi writes about health, diet and fitness for DivaVillage.
