Top 5 Questions about Nutrition for Exercise Answered
By a Registered Dietitian and Online Weight Loss Coach
If you’re going to workout, it’s important to make sure you’re supporting that exercise with your nutrition to get the most out of it!
Whether you go to F45 or Orangetheory, ride peloton, lift weights at the gym, run or do yoga, your nutrition is an essential piece of your workout so you can get the full benefits from toning to building muscle to weight loss.
When should I eat?
Research has shown that as long as you eat a high protein meal (at least 30g) within 3-4 hours before your workout, you do not need to worry about eating right after your workout. This is different from the short “anabolic window” that older research used to suggest existed.
So if you are, say, going to a 3pm Orangetheory class and ate lunch at noon, you are within that 3-4 hour eating window. You don’t need to eat right after your workout at 4pm, your normal dinner time is fine.
If you are working out in the early evening, maybe you are going to the gym on the way home from work, then you can either have a snack in the mid afternoon that has at least 30g of protein, or eat right after class.
If your exercise is after dinner, you don’t need to eat again after your workout. However, most people find they cannot eat a full dinner and then exercise. In this case, have half of your dinner before your workout, and the other half after. There’s no need to prepare two different things, saves you a lot of time and effort that way!!!
But what if you didn’t eat before? What if you’re working out in the morning?
My recommendation is to have something small before you go to your workout, something you can eat in your car. Keep it simple, maybe half a protein shake and a piece of dried fruit or a small box of raisins. Then finish the protein shake after class and have a normal breakfast.
If you really can’t stomach anything before class, it's ok to go in fasted as long as you have at least 30g of protein right away after class. Make sure that you hydrate before or during class though!!
Do not try to do intermittent fasting where you don’t eat until midday if you exercise in the morning. This will cause you to lose muscle along with fat, and also reduce the effectiveness of your workout.
What should I eat before or after my workout?
If you are eating within 30 minutes of your workout, you want something that can be digested quickly. Think of things that are already liquid, like applesauce, milk, yogurt, or protein shakes. Dried fruit is also good because it is fairly small and compact.
Here are my favorite snacks and small meals
If you have a bit more time before you exercise, or are eating afterwards, then you can be much more flexible in terms of how quickly digesting the food needs to be.
The most important thing is to have at least 30g of protein to repair, maintain, and build muscle. And also 20-45g of carbs which are the fuel you use in your workout.
Do I need to have electrolytes?
It depends. If you are a heavy sweater, or are working out in a high heat environment (like hot yoga or running outside), then electrolytes can help replace what you are losing in your sweat.
If you find yourself dizzy, nauseated, cramping or getting a headache during or after your workout, then try having electrolytes. I’ve found that electrolytes fix these symptoms 90% of the time.
Do I need BCAAs
No. BCAAs stands for Branched Chain Amino Acids, and these are already found in your the protein that you are eating or drinking. Make sure you are getting enough protein instead and save your money!
Speaking of protein, what about protein powder??
Protein powder and shakes can be a very convenient and efficient way to make sure that you are getting enough protein throughout the day. Whey is the most popular, and is the part of milk that gets left out when making cheese (curds and whey!)
For brands of protein, I recommend checking out Labdoor’s rankings
Look for “whey protein isolate” as this is a higher quality powder that does not contain lactose, so if you are lactose intolerant these kinds of protein powders should sit fine with your stomach.
Here are my favorite protein shake recipes (the snickers one is the BEST)
Vegan protein powders tend to be a bit grainy, so are best made into a smoothie or shake. They are also fine on their own, but the texture isn’t quite as nice as whey.
Collagen is another protein that’s gained popularity in the last few years. Collagen is a flavorless powder that you can add collagen to coffee or tea without impacting the flavor. I like to add it to things like mashed potatoes, yogurt, soup etc when someone is sick to make sure they are getting enough protein.
Collagen is not a complete protein, meaning that it lacks Tryptophan which is of the 9 essential amino acids that we need. You should not rely on collagen for more than 20g or so of protein per day.
That’s a wrap!
Speaking of wraps - I think they make a great pre or post workout meal! By supporting your exercise with good nutrition, you’ll get the biggest benefit in your weight loss, toning, muscle gain or endurance efforts.
