Whether you’re an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, food plays an important role in getting the most out of each workout. Whatever your goal might be, timing your meals and snacks around your training, along with maintaining hydration, are necessary to appropriately fuel each session and aid recovery. Achieving the right balance of nutrients also plays a critical role in maintaining immune function, as
Increase your energy intake to match your requirements
When exercising, adequate energy (kilojoule) intake is necessary to support the associated increase in energy expenditure, and maintain muscle mass, strength and endurance. Individual energy requirements vary with age, gender, height and weight.
These factors alone determine your basal metabolic rate, which is the minimum amount of energy needed to sustain essential metabolic functions in the body (the amount of energy needed if you were bed bound). However, the extent of physical activity undertaken – encompassing type, frequency, intensity and duration – significantly influences energy requirements overall.
Regardless of physical activity level, the average healthy Australian adult should aim to meet their daily energy requirements through a combination of complex carbohydrates, lean protein and healthy fats.
Fuel, prime and prepare before exercise
Fuelling and hydrating appropriately before each session is necessary to sustain the desired training quality and intensity throughout to avoid ‘hitting the wall’. It will also help you to avoid feeling hungry during your workout. Signs and symptoms that may indicate sub-optimal pre-exercise nutrition include:
- Reduced speed, accuracy and/or endurance during the session
- Earlier onset of fatigue
- Low energy
- Low concentration
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Irritability
- Gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhoea, reflux, bloating and/or nausea
YOUR PRE-WORKOUT EATING PLAN
4 hours before – Enjoy a macronutrient-balanced meal consisting of quality carbohydrates, lean protein, quality fats and vegetables.
2-4 hours before – Snack on a combination of carbohydrates and protein. Great snack ideas include berries with natural yoghurt and cinnamon, an apple or banana and muesli bar, or wholegrain crackers with cheese. Sip on water during this time to maintain adequate hydration that your body can use effectively during your session.
30-60 minutes before – If you wish, incorporate a small ‘primer’ comprising mostly carbohydrates that your body can readily use as fuel, like fruit, or a piece of wholegrain or sourdough toast with honey or jam. Caffeine (a small takeaway coffee) is another option here, but is best avoided for afternoon (post-12 PM) sessions, to mitigate any adverse impact on sleep quality.
Importantly, ensure you choose easily-digestible options (avoiding foods very high in fibre or fat) closer to your session. This will help prevent any stomach pain, nausea or other gut symptoms when training.
Should you eat during your workout?
Aside from replenishing lost fluids, it is generally not necessary to refuel (with dedicated sports drinks or gels, for example) during training sessions lasting less than 60 minutes (or less than 90 minutes for low-intensity workouts such as walking, yoga and pilates). Additional carbohydrates are really only necessary for endurance events and high-intensity sessions lasting longer than 60-90 minutes. These include some team sports, triathlons, marathons, cycling events. (Check out my article on what to eat for triathlon training.)
Recover, replenish and repair after working out
Appropriate post-exercise nutrition will adequately refuel and rehydrate the body, promote muscle repair and growth, and support immune function. Skipping this step may result in:
- A slower recovery rate
- Increased muscle soreness
- Fatigue
- Reduced performance during your next session
- Raised inflammation levels in the body
YOUR POST-WORKOUT EATING PLAN
Within 1 hour – Enjoy a snack rich in protein (20-40 g) and some carbohydrates (a protein smoothie, for example). Perimenopausal and menopausal women should bring this forward to 30 minutes post-session. Declining oestrogen levels during this life stage lead to losses in lean muscle, increasing demand for dietary protein. If you’re prone to nausea or other gut symptoms, the earlier the better when it comes to timing of recovery nutrition.
Within 4 hours – Replace 1.5x fluid lost during the session. Although this varies depending on the individual, type of exercise and climate, it typically equates to 150 ml per 15 minutes of exercise.
For personalised dietary advice to complement your training goals, book your first appointment with one of the wonderful accredited practising dietitians at our Telehealth clinic, Verde Nutrition Co.