10 Must-Have Pre-Workout Snacks

Eating before exercising has been shown to improve performance and is a great way to improve endurance and stamina. The goal to snacking before a workout is to keep it simple. Don’t eat a huge meal that leaves you feeling bloated. The purpose of a pre-workout snack is to help prevent low blood sugar, increase muscle and liver carbohydrate stores, and prevent hunger throughout the duration of your workout. Preventing low blood sugar is important because you can become lightheaded, dizzy, and lose concentration if not properly maintained. Keeping the muscle and liver carbohydrate stores full is important because this helps provide you with long lasting energy to fight through your workout. I recommend choosing snacks that do the following:

1. Increase hydration levels

2. Are low in fat and fiber

3. Are high in carbohydrates

4. Are low in simple sugars

The 10 Must-Have Pre-Workout Foods are:

1. Cereal (with skim milk)

2. Whole grain bread

3. Low-fat protein bar

4. Low-fat granola bar

5. Smoothie

6. Fruit (banana, apple, pear, orange)

7. Veggies (green beans, peas, celery, carrots)

8. Egg whites

9. Glass of milk (skim milk)

10. Non-fat yogurt

Stay tuned for post-workout snacks!!

October 27th, 2008
by Matt
Tags: food, Nutrition, snacks, workout
Posted in Fitness, Nutrition & Health No Comments »

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