3 Nutrition Tips to Get the Best Out of Your Workouts

Knowing what and when to eat before and after a workout can be crucial to reaching your personal fitness goals.

Not surprisingly, this pertains not only to large meals but also light snacks. While a personal trainer or a nutritionist can help approve a meal plan, taking your unique needs into consideration, here are 3 nutrition tips that one can follow in order to get the best out of their workouts.

Tip #1: First off, when it comes to the timing of your meals or snacks, ensure that you eat a large meal 3-4 hours before you workout. Lighter meals can be eaten 2-3 hours before your workout. Also, it’s not uncommon (and preferable) to eat light snacks just before and after your workout.

Tip #2: The reason why it’s important to eat a few hours before you workout is because with a full stomach, you can get stomach cramps, pain and even diarrhea. Worse still, your digestive system and muscles will be competing for energy. Alternatively, it’s important to not pass on meals either as you will feel weak or this will cause you to slow down on reaction times when working out.

Tip #3: As for what to eat before a workout, experts recommend that carbohydrates are the best and which can be ideally obtained from foods such as pastas, fresh vegetables, breads and whole-grain cereals. Keep in mind that foods that are high in fiber like legumes and fructose such as fruit are to be avoided, and which can cause gas during your workout. Avoiding fatty foods can cause discomfort during your workout while also take longer to digest as well.