Eating Before Exercise

People often ask me, "What, if anything, should i eat before working out?" The most important thing is to definitely eat something before working out. Your body needs the energy to get through the workout. Here are some tips and a list of foods to eat that will give you a boost for your workout.

Eating Before Exercise
• Consume a carbohydrate-rich snack or meal before exercise to top off muscle stores.
• Include small amounts of protein in your pre-exercise meal(s). Protein helps build and repair muscle tissue. Adequate protein before exercise may help reduce post-exercise muscle soreness.
• Choose pre-exercise meal(s) that are low in fat and fiber to ensure optimal digestion.

3–4 Hours Before Exercise
• Peanut butter & honey on toast
• Fruit and yogurt smoothie + low-fat granola
• Oatmeal with brown sugar and almonds + skim milk + banana
• Low-fat cottage cheese + apple butter + crackers + fresh grapes
• Lean hamburger on bun with lettuce & tomato + side salad + yogurt-fruit parfait
• Turkey and Swiss sandwich + fruit + sports drink • Low-fat tuna melt sandwich + fruit cup + fat-free yogurt

30–60 Minutes Before Exercise
• Sports drink or water
• Sports gel, sport beans or gummies, sports bar
• Piece of fruit or jam sandwich
• Handful of pretzels or crackers

Tips to Take With You
1. Experiment with foods and drinks to determine the best timing and your tolerance for pre-exercise foods.
2. Practice! Figuring out what works best for you will boost confidence in eating before exercise.
3. Fuel muscles early with easily digestible carbohydrate-rich foods and beverages for training.

Soy Protein vs. Whey Protein

Protein is important part of a balanced diet as it aides in building muscle, especially after weight workouts and high intensity cardio workouts. Protein also helps in muscle repair after weight training. The market is flooded with all types of protein bars, powders, and supplements. Look carefully at the labels to make sure you are not eating a glorified candy bar. Some of these bars, even though high in protein, are packed with calories and fat. Then it comes down to what protein is better, soy or whey. The fact is, they are both are good options. While whey is a complete animal protein derived from milk, soy protein, derived from soybeans, is as complete a protein without coming from animal.

Soy protein is low in saturated fat, and it has powerful antioxidant properties that have been shown to play a role in lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease. Sources where soy protein may be found are soybeans, tofu, miso, tempeh, soymilk, soy protein powder and some meal-replacement drinks. Soy Protein is a great alternative for those looking for a vegetarian protein option.

Whey protein is "fast acting" protein which means your body absorbs it quickly. Whey protein is popular with athletes because it has been shown to help build muscle and increase strength. Sources of whey protein include milk, as well as meal-replacement drinks and protein powders.

Healthy Eating on Vacation

A summer vacation is usually not the time when healthy eating and/or exercise is on the mind. It is after all a vacation. There are ways to indulge just enough so you do not return home feeling like you need to amp up your exercise and restrict your diet. Or even worse is if you return home and just think that your plan you had been following before vacation is not working and you give up all together. Check out the tips in this article for ways to keep on track while on vacation. Hope these tips are helpful and have a great vacation!