By Casey Seidenberg Casey Seidenberg Bio May 14 at 7:00 AM I regularly exercise with a friend in the early morning. Before we meet in the dark, I chug a bit of green tea while she fits in two slices of whole grain toast with peanut butter. Is one of us better prepared for that workout?
To dig deeper into the science behind what and when to eat to fuel exercise, I spoke with two experts. Barbara Lewin is an internationally recognized sports nutritionist who has been teaching athletes to improve their health and optimize performance for more than 30 years. J Braun is a strength trainer to individuals and D.C.-area sports teams and the owner of the Northwest-based Tidal Elite Performance Center.
If you can better time your meals for performance than I can early in the morning, Lewin explains that the ideal time to eat is one or two hours before a workout, so the body has time to digest the food and use the nutrients.Braun says his “favorite pre-workout snack is an apple with nut butter because it provides natural glucose, protein and healthy fats. The old advice to eat a bagel, pasta or bowls of cereal before a workout is flawed.
•Water supports all bodily functions. Studies show that athletic performance can be affected by what, how much and when an athlete drinks. Braun recommends sips throughout the day and during a workout rather than gulps afterward. Stopping to take a few sips every now and then also gives the athlete time to catch their breath and gear up for the next segment of the workout.
But have you tried doing it the right way? And felt the difference?
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Well, I can tell you what you should eat before exercise. If it's anything substantial and you didn't vomit, you're probably not exercising enough.