The Best Pre-Workout Treats

Even if you work out on a regular basis, there is one thing a lot of us have a hard time getting right—how to eat before exercising. It’s a difficult balance to strike. You need some workout energy to fuel your exercise, but you also want to avoid feeling weighed down by the food you eat. These simple tips will help you find the right timing and content of your pre-workout treats.

Timing Is Everything

Deciding what to eat for your pre-workout snack is one thing. Timing your snack can be the tricky part. Like the old adage about not eating less than an hour before swimming, think of the one-hour barrier as your guide. If you have more than an hour before your workout, you can eat more complex snacks, like combinations of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. If you only have an hour, or even less than an hour, then you need to simplify your snacks so your body can digest it more quickly.

Keep It Simple

Those simple snacks that you have an hour or so before your workout should lean more toward carbs or protein, depending on the type of exercise you will be doing. Your body tends to digest carbs more quickly, so you will get the workout energy you want and have the food processed in time for cardio workouts like boxing class, running, or sports.

Don’t Overdo It

The key to pre-workout snacks is to get the fuel you need for the exercise you will be doing without weighing you down. When you work out, your body is using energy and blood for your muscles and less to digest food. If you have a complex rock of food sitting in your stomach, you can feel sick, and your performance will plummet. Unless you are totally running on empty, it would probably be better not to eat anything before your workout than to eat too much complex food too soon before your workout.

Pre-workout Treats

Here are some of our favorite treats for workout energy you can try before your next sweat session.

Go Bananas

Perhaps the simplest snack you can eat before a workout is a banana. You get a great blend of vitamins and minerals along with the carbs you want for energy and rapid digestion.

Get More Complex with Time

The more time you have, the more you can add to your pre-workout snack. If you have more than an hour, add some peanut butter to your banana snack. Or you could drink some chocolate milk with your banana, which will also add some protein.

If bananas and peanut butter snacks aren’t for you, try some oatmeal with milk or a granola bar (as long as it isn’t loaded with empty calories from processed sugar).

A Smooth Option

Another great pre-workout treat is a homemade smoothie. This is a great way to get your greens and carbs. Put a large handful of spinach in a blender, then add some fresh or frozen fruit like pineapple or cherries with some berries and maybe a banana. Add water and blend. If you have a little more time to digest, add some plain Greek yogurt for protein.

Protein Pros

You can also take that plain yogurt and add some fruit for a nice snack. The good thing about adding fruit to plain yogurt or oats is that you control the amount and type of sugar that you eat.

If you want to focus on protein before hitting the weights, you can’t go wrong with some good old-fashioned grilled chicken with a side of broccoli.

Work Out with Legends Boxing

If you have time, enjoy a healthy treat before you hit the gym. And if you need a great place for those workouts, join Legends Boxing. You will find a variety of exercise, workout friends, and fun challenges you’ve always wanted.

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