When athletes are
waking up early in the morning to go to a workout, many of them aren’t hungry
so they don’t eat anything before leaving their home. The problem with this is
the body needs fuel to help push the athlete through the workout and help them
perform at their highest level. Eating carbohydrates before an early morning
workout helps to raise blood sugar to keep the athlete from feeling sluggish or
tired and also will fuel the muscles so they can last through a lift or run. Adding
protein to the pre-workout snack has also been shown boost performance and help
muscles better recover post-workout. However, adding protein to a pre-workout
snack may seem too heavy for someone who is not as hungry right when they wake
up.
Here are some
ideas of what an athlete can eat on the go before the workout that won’t make
them feel overly full or upset their stomach:
·
½ Banana + 1Tbsp peanut butter
·
Slice of Whole Wheat Toast or small tortilla with
2 slices turkey
·
1/2c Granola
·
1c Cereal (milk optional, depends on if it
causes stomach pain)
·
½ bagel +
1 Tbsp. light cream cheese or peanut butter
·
Whole Wheat English Muffin + 1 Tbsp. peanut
butter
·
Granola bar
·
A handful or ~ ¼ cup of nuts and dried fruit:
pistachios, walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts, dried apricots, dried
blueberries, raisins, Craisins, dried mango, etc.
·
Low fat yogurt topped with ¼ cup of whole grain
cereal and/or fruit
·
Small bowl of oatmeal
·
Applesauce
·
Sports drink such as PowerAde
The key to
pre-workout fuel is to experiment with various foods and decide which ones give
you the most sustained energy without upsetting your stomach. A small pre-workout
snack should be consumed at least 30 minutes before the workout. The larger the
meal or snack gets, increase the amount of time from consumption to workout. Now,
wake up and get to fueling!
Contributed by Lauren Silvio, RD
