Whether and what to eat before and after a workout?

The composition of a pre-workout meal is determined by individual preferences and caloric needs. However, it should certainly take into account the timing and type of exercise being performed.

What and when to eat before a workout?

A key rule for physically active people is the timing of the last meal before exertion -  at least 2 hours before starting exercise.

So, when you have 2-3 hours until your workout, you can eat a normal, wholesome meal. A typical lunch works perfectly, providing the body with:

• carbohydrates, e.g., in the form of groats, rice, potatoes, or pasta,
• protein - meat, fish, legumes, eggs, cottage cheese,
• fats, e.g., olive oil, rapeseed oil, seeds, kernels, nuts, avocado.

However, if you have less than an hour until your workout, you can reach for quick and easily digestible snacks such as a fruit smoothie, a ripe banana, or a wheat roll with jam.

A full stomach is a hindrance

Exercising on a full stomach will not only be ineffective but can also cause many problems. You may experience nausea, indigestion, and a feeling of heaviness throughout the workout. You even risk getting a side stitch, which causes pain that makes it impossible to perform many movements freely.

Too short an interval between a meal and physical activity can also negatively affect muscle activity, as they will be deprived of sufficient oxygen. In such cases, blood pools around the stomach and intestines to absorb the valuable nutrients from the food, resulting in poorer blood supply to the skeletal muscle tissues.

What to eat after a workout?

The post-workout meal aims to regenerate muscle and liver glycogen and accelerate the repair of muscle fibers. For active individuals who have more than 24 hours between training sessions, glycogen will be replenished throughout the day, so the meal does not need to be consumed immediately after finishing the activity. However, it is worth remembering that muscle glycogen replenishment is fastest within the first two hours after exercise.

The recommended meal should include complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index, such as whole-grain bread, coarse groats, barley or oat flakes, and protein. You can opt for whole-grain sandwiches with lean poultry, fish, or eggs, fruit with cottage cheese, or salads made with coarse groats and lean meat.

Professional or recreational?

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. However, many people don't realize how crucial peri-workout nutrition is to an athlete's success. That is why anyone planning to start their amateur sports journey—and more and more people are doing so—should meticulously plan their nutritional schedule. For amateur athletes, pre- and post-workout meals are key to recovery and performance, especially when the time between scheduled activities is less than 24 hours.

People who exercise recreationally don't need to be as strict about the timing of their pre- and post-workout meals. The main thing is that the food shouldn't sit heavy on your stomach while you're moving. Building muscle mass is a different matter; in that case, it is important to distribute protein intake throughout the day and consume a post-workout meal within an hour of finishing your activity.

It is worth noting that women who train and struggle with hormonal imbalances should also ensure they have a post-workout meal or consume carbohydrates (e.g., in the form of an isotonic drink) during their activity. This is essential because the female pituitary gland—the body's hormonal control center—is highly sensitive to energy availability.

Keep an eye on your food

We already know that peri-workout nutrition is most important for professional athletes. Recreational physical activity does not require strict monitoring of the composition or timing of meals before and after exercise. However, if you aren't seeing improvements in your fitness or physique despite regular activity, it is worth paying closer attention to what you eat.

Bibliography:

1. Bean A.; Energy and Performance; Before, During, and After Training; Sports Nutrition; Zyski i S-ka Wydawnictwo; 1st ed.; 2008; 17-31; 51-55
2. Swiss Sports Nutrition Pyramid [accessed 21.04.2022] https://adst.mp.pl/s/www/pacjenci/piramiada_zywienia_sportowcow.pdf
3. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance; Journal Of The Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics, 2016; 116, 501-528