Part 1: Pre-Workout Nutrition (A Series)
You can eat intuitively as an athlete! In today's post I cover eating practices around activity. In the next 2 parts of this series we will cover hydration and post-workout nutrition.
PART 1: SPORTS NUTRITION - PRE-WORKOUT NUTRITION
Nutrition is important for performance, endurance, and recovery. So in other words prior to training, after training, when you are not training - it’s important to eat to support your unique self. This includes those carbohydrates (like fruit, pastas, grains, smoothies, etc.) that are a very important nutrient for athletes. But guess what?! Many of you who are reading this are ALSO athletes. Do you go to the gym and push yourself, have you completed a 5k recently, do you walk in the morning? Everyday athletes need carbohydrates just as all humans do. They hold power in providing our body the fuel we require all day long and support optimal glycogen stores to allow you to train for longer durations and higher intensities. But I do want to give credit to the other rock stars we have on our plate too - the fats, proteins, fruits and vegetables - so I will highlight these as well.
The goal in this post and in nutrition around workouts is to help you optimize performance, improve endurance, support recovery AND prevent under fueling, which can affect the athlete's physical and mental health and their performance. In the next 2 series we will cover hydration and post-workout nutrition too, which are just as important.
Now, I want to preface that I understand applying this may look different for everyone since carbohydrates have been deemed “evil” in our society, especially sugar in recent years, and this fear in carbohydrates isn’t going away just because you read this blog post. These recommendations are to just get you started so you can become more curious in how you are preparing meals and if you need help to better support your intuitive eater. If you are struggling to eat enough (maybe because of lack of hunger cues or you have a low appetite for some reason) I do suggest working with a Registered Dietitian, as well as treating these eating periods as forms of self care too. Eating is not meant to feel like a chore and if this is the case, please reach out! If you feel you have questions on how to approach some of these meals or snacks at all - talk to myself or your Registered Dietitian for personalized guidance as always!
If your day works that you’ll have a full meal before your activity - you’ll want to allow at least 3 hours to digest this full meal to prevent any GI distress. This meal 3-4 hours before activity should include all the things: carbohydrate (at least half of your plate), protein (your typical protein serving - may include meat, fish, legumes, dairy, eggs), healthy fats (from things like oils, nuts, avocados, fish, etc.), color with fruits and/or vegetables, plus the fiber from any of the above mentioned foods (like grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes.)
Pictured 3-4 hours before activity: Top meal: a bowl of noodles, at least 1 soft boiled egg, & a smoothie (with vegetables, fruit, & milk.) Bottom meal: Turkey and cheese sandwich with chocolate milk & pretzels. Other meals may include grilled chicken and roasted potatoes with an array of sauteed mushrooms and green beans plus a large glass of water & a yogurt parfait.
As you get closer to your activity or training session you’ll want to eat lower fat, fiber and protein. Fat, fiber, and protein are all important parts of your diet but leading up to your activity it’s important to limit these to prevent any GI distress and to focus your attention on carbohydrates that are simple and easily absorbed. If you’ve got less than 1 hour before training focus on simple carbohydrates like fruits and sports drinks
Pictured 2 hours before: Top: about 2 handfuls of mixed nuts & dried fruit (pairing with a chocolate milk would be wise too for a bit of protein, electrolytes, and fluids!), Middle: oatmeal/cereal with protein rich milk (like cow’s, lactaid, or pea protein based milk for example), berries, and granola, Bottom: peanut butter and jelly and again this would pair well with a yogurt, energy bar, or fruit & a large glass of water. All of these meals have some protein and fiber in them but less than your main meal. Additionally fluids are added to these snacks intentionally for that purposeful hydration prior to your activity. It’s important to check in with yourself around these periods of pre-activity. If you know that you didn’t finish your meal earlier or skipped a snack - you’ll definitely want to consider electrolyte hydration with snacks prior to activity and be prepared to use these during your activity. Also using liquid nutrition where possible (like low-fiber and low-fat smoothies and shakes) prior to activity or with your meals and snacks earlier in the day to boost energy or help out on days when appetite is low.
Pictured 60-90 mins before: Top: Apple slices with about a thumb size of peanut butter. Middle: A pineapple banana smoothie made with low-fat greek yogurt and almond milk. Bottom: A granola bar like Cliff. Other ideas include a white cinnamon raisin bagel/toast with a bit of almond butter or a low-fat yogurt with cantaloupe.
It’s SO common to feel odd when you are not hungry and are trying to actually make yourself eat a meal or snack. It feels rigid as an intuitive eater to make yourself eat when you’re not quite hungry/ This can happen from time to time with mood, medications, stress, that time of the month (& more). I recommend my athletes to take in what they already know about their body and what has worked well for them in recent days and try to replicate this as best they can. Liquid nutrition at these periods can be very helpful! As well as compassion with yourself on what you can and can’t control.
Pictures about 30 mins before: Top: Banana, Middle: Pretzels (heaping handful), Bottom: Applesauce (the Mott’s to-go cups work well). These “quick” carbs require less digestion and offer very low in fiber and virtually no fat. These simple/quick carbohydrates are converted to sugar (energy) quicker and are great prior to your activity.
Now since you’re probably tired of hearing about carbohydrates in this post if you made it this far I want to finish this up with clarifying how important fats are. They are not easy on digestion so this is why we keep them low closer to activity. However, fats like avocado you’ll put on tacos, mixed nuts you may snack on, nut butters that you may be spreading on toast are all helpful for the athlete through improving inflammation and recovery.
Remember, no one is the same - trial and error works best with eating around training.
"Pre-workout" eating (the hours leading up to your training) is going to contribute to a big chunk of your eating in an entire week, so be easy on yourself & have fun with your food choices!