This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BC chapter.
You’ve got your workouts down. You know how to balance cardio with strength training, and how to warm-up, cool-down, and stretch to help your muscles strengthen and repair. But how does your diet fit into this? What you eat and drink before, during, and after your exercise sessions is essential to optimize the effectiveness of your workouts and make sure you refuel and recover.
Pre-Workout (the day of)
Eating:
- Have complex carbs that slowly release sugar to energize you throughout your workout. Ideal choices include oatmeal, whole-wheat pasta, and whole-wheat bread.
Drinking:
- Drink water steadily throughout the day.
Pre-Workout (~1 hour before)
Eating:
- 1-2 hours before your workout, eat a meal comprising approximately half the calories you expect to burn during your workout.
- Have potassium and carbohydrates to provide energy and maintain fluid balance in order to prevent dehydration and cramps. Ideal choices include bananas and raisins.
- Stay away from high-fiber foods – you want your energy spent on exercise, not digestion.
Drinking:
- Drink 2-3 cups of water 1-2 hours before your workout.
During the Workout
Eating:
- You should have 30-60 grams of carbohydrates for each hour of exercise, so if you’re doing over an hour of cardio (like long runs during marathon training, for example) try an energy gel midway through your workout.
Drinking:
- Aim to have ½ to 1 cup of water ever 20 minutes of your workout.
Post-Workout
Eating:
- After strength training try to eat 10-15 grams of protein within an hour to repair the micro-tears in your muscles.
- After cardio, you’ll need both carbs and protein – eat a meal with protein and carbohydrates to help your muscles recover and replace glycogen stores. Ideal choices include a turkey sandwich, Greek yogurt with cereal, and pretzels with peanut butter.
Drinking:
- If working out for under an hour, stick to water (about 2-3 cups)
- If working out for more than an hour you’ll need to replace the carbohydrates, potassium, and sodium that you lose with sweat. Ideal choices include:
- Coconut water: it doesn’t have much sodium or carbs, but is high in potassium to prevent cramping and dehydration
- Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade: replenish carbohydrates, potassium, and sodium, but are high in sugar so are best diluted with water
- Vegetable juice: probably not the first thing you think to drink after the Plex, but vegetable juice is higher than most sports drinks in potassium and sodium
- Chocolate milk: after a high-intensity workout, this has an optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio to refuel muscles
Photo Sources:
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