Fitness Friday - Best Pre and Post Workout Snacks

Working out and proper nutrition go hand in hand! So its important to be properly fueled before and after your workout.

Before a workout its important to eat the proper foods that will fuel your workout and keep your energy levels up. And after your workout its equally important to make sure you properly nourish your body to help it repair. So below I have provided a little list of pre and post workout foods to help you get the most out of your workouts!

PRE-WORKOUT:

1. Carbohydrates – Carbs are great as a pre-workout snack because carbs provide and instant energy boost to help you fuel your workouts. This is especially important for quick burst of high intensity cardio workouts like HIIT workouts.

2. Protein – Protein before a workout helps with muscle recovery and increases your strength and endurance during a workout. Protein is especially important when you are weight training.

3. Fat – Having a some healthy fats before a workout will help to fuel a longer low to moderate intensity cardio workout.

Most people will grab a quick protein shake before the gym to help them power through their workouts. When my husband and I make our protein shakes we actually forgo the protein powder because there are many additives and chemicals in most protein powders that we don’t want to ingest. Instead we add lots of berries, a banana (carbs), some yogurt, milk, and nut butter (proteins) and we like to sweeten it up with a natural sugar like honey or dates (carbs). We drink half of this shake about 20-30 mins before our workout and drink the other half as a post workout snack.

A protein shake is ideal if you are going to be working out within about 30 mins after you drink it because its easy to digest and gives you a great mix of both carbs and protein to help you sustain your energy throughout your workout.

If you don’t like to eat 30 mins before a workout or if you like to workout on an “empty” stomach I recommend having your last meal between 1 and 3 hours before you workout. In this case its best to eat a snack/meal that is more sustainable and will digest slower and stay in your system longer. For example I might eat a banana and nut butter sandwich on multi-grain bread or a dish of quinoa, veggies and chicken. That way I am still getting the protein, carbs and fat I need but they will stay in my belly a bit longer and not burn off as quickly.

Other great snack ideas post workout are: Greek yogurt with berries and some nuts or granola, an apple with nut butter on it or a banana and a glass of milk. If you are on the go you can have a healthy granola bar like Made Good granola bars or even a handful of nuts, dried fruit and a glass of milk.

POST WORKOUT:

1. Protein – Again eating protein after a workout will help you to keep and build those sexy muscle you are working so hard to achieve. Protein is the building blocks of muscle so its even more crucial after a workout.

NOTE: Its important to make sure you are getting enough protein in a day especially if you are training. The easiest way to calculate protein intake is to have one gram of protein for each pound of body weight (if your trying to gain some muscle). So if you are 115 pounds try to eat 115 grams of protein a day. If you just want to maintain your muscle aim for 0.8 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.

2. Water – Its also very important to make sure you are hydrated before, during and after a workout. You should be drinking 8 oz or more for every 20 mins of exercise!

3. Carbohydrates – Again this is a quick energy source for your body so its important to get some complex carbs into your body after a workout. I am not saying a full pasta dinner but some quinoa or fruit is a great option.

Again timing of these foods are important after a workout. You really need to eat something quick... within the first 30 mins after a workout is ideal. If you don't eat after a workout your body may feed off of your freshly pumped muscle fibers. So here is where the second half of the protein shake comes in. Its quick and a very accessible source of protein and carbs your body craves after a workout.

Other great post workout snacks are: Chocolate milk… yep it has a great balance of protein, carbs and sugar to replenish your body after a workout. Another option is an egg on whole grain bread with avocado spread… mmmm it's not only tasty but gets you some amazing protein and healthy fats also! On the go… again try a healthy granola bar or a Nature's Bakery Stone Ground Fig Bar.

If you are putting in 3 or more days at the gym you'll want to make sure you are fueling your body properly to help you achieve the results you want. So eating the proper foods before and after a workout will ensure that you have the best results possible!

Now grab a quick snack and go get your sweat on!!

Simply Truly Jenny...