Your Meal and Your Workout

August 06, 2010, By Catherine Couretas 0 comments

For some, eating before a workout is not in their vocabulary. For others, eating immediately afterwards is a necessity. In can be difficult to determine when it’s the best time to eat, especially regarding your workout, let alone what you should be eating to lead a healthy lifestyle.

According to the Mayo Clinic, what and when you eat can impact your performance, so you’ll want to give yourself a schedule to maximize your workout.

Breakfast

Breakfast is key. Depending on when during the day you plan to work out, your meal should be a different size. If you’re going to work out in the morning, eat a lighter breakfast. Chances are your body has used up all of your energy from dinner the previous evening or night while you were sleeping, so it’s best to eat a little something. If you’re going to work out later in the day, eat a solid meal.

Lunch

If you’ve worked out between breakfast and lunch, don’t put lunch off or skip it. It’s best to eat within a couple of hours of working out, so if you were exercising from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., begin your meal by around 1 p.m. How much you have for lunch should also be decided by when you’re working out: you don’t want to eat a bunch right before a workout but might find a slightly larger meal more appealing after a workout. Make sure to not keep eating after you’re full, though. You can’t burn an infinite number of calories every day.

Dinner

If your workout falls between lunch and dinner, make sure to not put off or skip dinner. As above, have your meal within a couple hours of the workout. If you plan on working out after dinner, make sure to not have a super heavy meal that might slow you down or get you in the mood to watch TV rather than work out.

Snacks

The Mayo Clinic suggests altering your snacking plan a bit depending on what works best for you. If eating a light snack before a workout has you feeling a little sluggish, skipping it may be best.

Just make sure to pay attention what works and stick with it. With more exercise, you may find yourself interested in lighter meals and notice that you’re slimming down even sooner.

Catherine Couretas is a freelancer at Barefoot Proximity and a regular contributor to ManoftheHouse.com.