What Should I Eat Before A Workout?
Let’s talk about when and what to eat before a workout…because FOOD matters. That pre-workout meal is what Fuels your fitness and is essential if you want to get the most out of your workouts. The workouts I’m talking about are non-cardio based workouts that involve lifting weights and/or bodyweight. (Pre-cardio food intake can different vastly). Eating before your workout is important because that food turns into fuel allowing you the energy, stamina and focus you need to perform better.
What to Eat:
You’ll want to fuel your body with an easily digested carbohydrate such as fruit and yogurt, toast and peanut butter, oatmeal, a protein bar or protein shake. You can also add some good fats like avocado, almond butter, nuts or seeds. Sometimes I even like to do a veggie omelet. Just be sure not to eat too much or it can leave you feeling sluggish and heavy.
When to Eat:
Try to get in your meal around 60 to 90 minutes before your session, You don’t want to take in your meals too closely to when you start your weight training workout, but I do recommend experimenting with the types of food and the timing of your pre and post workout meals to discover what works best for you.
Eating after your workout is just as important as eating before your workout, as you need to feed your muscles and replenish your system. Eat a small snack consisting of protein and easily digested carbohydrates within about an hour of training and then your next meal an hour or two later.
Just as important as your food is your water intake. Hydration is essential! As women, we should be consuming 91-95 oz/day (approx. 12 cups). I like to start the day and end the day by just chugging 16oz…talk about a way to jumpstart the system and flush things out. You should also increase your water intake before your workout, continue consuming water throughout your workout and give yourself a water boost after your workout. BTW, this image has very little to do with the post other than it’s a hot guy drinking water which I hope inspires you to drink more water too! lol.
I said all of that to say: DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. You lose a lot of water during your workout because we sweat it out and dehydration can lead to decreased performance, amongst other things. The following chart lists recommendations from the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine’s Fluid Replacement Guidelines (1):
If you are attending ANY of my classes, especially ASSLT, then you should absolutely be sure to follow my suggestions above to ensure that you have properly fueled yourself for the fitness beatdown you will encounter!
One of the biggest arguments I hear from women about getting in shape (specifically hiring a trainer and making healthier food choices) is “it’s too expensive”. I’ve come to realize however, that it’s not the money that most are referring to (whether or not they realize it), it’s the time investment. The cost of time that it takes to achieve results is more than most are willing to invest – despite it being the best investment one can ever make. I’ve seen a multitude of cost breakdowns, infographics and other charts that aim to disprove this excuse by showing cost comparisons for fast food and alcohol vs. healthier food options. While correct data-wise, I feel that these types of visual proof are not focused on the real issue, which is the cost of time.
While this affects all sexes, I chose to focus in on women, mostly because I can speak from personal experience. As women, I feel that we put more emphasis and money into our hair, lash extensions, nails and shape-wear – hell, I did. Not because we don’t care about our bodies, but rather, because these bandaids are “easier” and offer almost instant gratification. I mean really, we spend more on cosmetic bandaids than it would cost to high a trainer and eat healthier. Hundreds to thousands of dollars are spent monthly on cosmetic enhancements and let’s not even get into things like botox, fillers, waxing, tanning etc. Now, I’m not saying some of these things aren’t important. I’m saying that they are equally “expensive” and simply offer quicker results with less discomfort. The discomfort required for change and the time it takes to see results is a turn off and discourages women from reaching their fit potential. Bodywork is a long-term commitment requiring a lifestyle change if you want to maintain it. And there are no true shortcuts, as shortcuts lead to quick endings and constant restarts. For example, things like weaves and fake nails are shortcuts to long healthy hair and nails. 
When it comes to food most times healthier food options cost the same, if not substantially less than the current junk we consume daily. Again, the hangup is about the time and effort required for food prep and planning. It does take time to prep meals and develop a streamlined system that works for your individual schedule. It takes planning to make sure you have food prepared or access to healthier food options that match your health and fitness goals. When we don’t set aside the proper time and planning, that’s where we find ourselves over-indulging during happy hour or running through a drive through.
2019 is finally here and my wall is full of goal posts (pun intended lol). Everyone is habitually sharing their goals and resolutions, while cheerfully optimistic about what this new year will bring. I feel like goal setting New Year’s resolutions is a socially-conscious, obligatory tradition.
ing anatomy and muscle chains, proper sequencing, understanding how the body responds to certain movements, moving better, mobility, range of motion, strengthening, functional flexibility, flexibility for a particular sport, contortion, fluidity and flow, etc. These things matter! This is not something that can be mastered in one day, let alone in a five minute video. Unless you already have the strength and flex-Ability, but are lacking in the form and technique departments, getting a move “by the end of this video” or “by the end of the day” is unlikely.
As adults, we can certainly improve flexibility but we cannot instantly sprout that same degree of “kid-like” flexibility. As we age, our ligaments and tendons (muscle fibers) become less elastic along with muscle loss of course. On top of that, many of us nowadays have a very sedentary lifestyle and if we don’t routinely stretch our muscle fibers, we start to suffer stiffness; cranky, achy joints and muscles; and more limited range of motion. Also keep in mind that kids/teens also tend to be more active than working adults living a mostly sedentary lifestyle. So developing flexibility as an adult can be difficult, but it’s not impossible!
I spent the next three years continuing my foot break saga. 2009 foot break running up TWO steps to the front door of my condo (although in my defense my foot doctor said my foot likely was already fractured at the time and running was checkmate). 2010 Foot break in pole class, attempted a twisted grip kickup, rolled my ankle and the pressure on the side of my foot went POP! 2011 foot break on the in-door soccer field. A teammate kicked me in the foot during warmup and SNAP! Four years, four consecutive foot breaks – three on the left foot, one on the right foot. It might be a good time to add that I have a calcium and vitamin D defiance and also that I supinate when I walk, so clearly those things didn’t help. Finally in 2012 I had surgery to have a titanium screw inserted into my foot to prevent further breaks. Four foot breaks and a surgery later, I was left overweight and severely out of shape…only to follow that up with a broken rib (I’ll talk about that and show the video another time). I must say though, that without these setbacks, I probably wouldn’t be where I am and who I am today. My love for fitness and flexibility (which gave birth to #flexyfit) was born through having to recreate myself.
Four years of foot breaks and poor decisions caught up to me in the worst way. At only 24 I was pushing 260 and had became a neck up girl… you know what I mean that girl that has mastered the art of taking selfies from the neck up in a way that you’d never know what she looks like down below because she’s got a pretty face and a rack that’ll knock your socks off. She’s excellent when it comes to angles! I was down to wearing the same 2 pairs of pants to work because that’s all that fit. If I went out I was sporting jersey dresses, because despite my weight gain my legs were still seemingly #thickfit and the extra material in the midsection hid my belly. I feared being tagged in photos on IG (that was back before they had all of the fancy content control tools we have now). When I deleted almost 90-95%% of the pics that I took in attempt to get the perfect angle and deny the reality of my life, or rather the rest of my body. I was throwing money around to gain friends and disguise my body flaws.
