Pre-Workout Nutrition with Pure Plates

by Allison Tallman on

Pre-workout nutrition is just as important as post, and it can really impact your long-term results and goals! Pre-workout nutrition means that you’re focusing on what to eat BEFORE a workout. The quality, quantity, and timing are what will impact your workouts, and Pure Plates can help you with this!

Before we get into the specifics, it’s important to understand why pre-workout nutrition is important to think about. A proper pre-workout meal or snack will supply your body with adequate energy to perform and move your body. When we workout and exert our body, we’re using energy stores each second. By eating the appropriate foods, it’ll also make sure that you have that energy ready-to-use and that you aren’t running on empty. As surprising as it may seem, pe-workout nutrition also helps you to recover after a workout! If you work out on no to low energy, your performance may be impaired. This increases chance of injury, soreness, or cramping after a workout.

As you can tell, pre-workout nutrition is so important in partnership with physical activity! Let’s talk a further look into what we recommend eating, how much, and how to time your fuel.

 

What should you eat

Choosing the appropriate foods can help you to maximize your performance, fuel your workouts, and feel better while working out. Pre-workout nutrition is all about one thing: carbohydrates. Carbs give us energy that we need to move our body. It supplies energy specifically to our muscles and brain. Without adequate carbs, we may feel lethargic, light headed, or ill.

One thing to take note of, however, is that you want to make sure that you’re focusing on carbs that are easier to digest. If you’re choosing heavy carbs or those with quite a bit of fiber, we may feel bloated or uneasy during the workout. Think of your stomach moving around and feeling gasey – no one wants this during a workout! Same thing with fat – while you want and can have SOME fat, you shouldn’t eat super greasy or fatty food prior to a workout for the same reason. Protein shouldn’t be the main point of concern for pre-workout, as the main purpose of protein for workouts is to repair and rebuild muscles. Learn more how protein plays a role in post-workout recovery here.

Pure Plates can help you to fuel before a workout since we have the food ready-to-eat for you – you don’t have to think about a thing! 

Some of our favorite pre-workout foods are:

 

How much you should eat

How much you eat also greatly impacts your workouts. Think of doing an intense workout after a Thanksgiving feast, sounds awful! Instead, monitoring how much you are eating can help to appropriately fuel your body for your workout. Now, we’re not saying to measure or weigh out your food each time you eat. Make approximations or estimations to help you. For pre-workout, you should aim to have 1-2 servings of carbs, or 12-30 gm of carb. This means that if you are eating a full meal, you might want to only eat a portion of the meal prior to a workout and then eat the rest afterwards. This prevents fullness and from your stomach hurting during the workout. What does this carb quantity look like?

  • 1-2 pieces of fruit
  • 1-2 pieces of bread
  • ½ cup to 1 cup oatmeal
  • 1-2 oz almonds

 

Timing of your fuel

Timing of your fuel is also critical in your workouts. It’s recommended to eat at least an hour before working out to give your body plenty of time to digest. For larger meals, space it to 2 hours prior. This can be tough for your 6am workout, we get it! Do the best that you can. Some people can tolerate having a small piece of fruit 20 min before a workout, for example. It also might depend on the type of physical activity that you’re doing and the intensity. If timing isn’t going to be right, at least choose the right foods with Pure Plates. You know your body and ability to digest and workout better than we do, of course!

No matter the type of workout or your long-term health goals, proper nutrition prior to physical activity has a huge impact. Choose the appropriate foods with Pure Plates. Eat the appropriate amount, and time out your fuel. We promise you, your health (and stomach while working out,) won’t regret it!