Nutrition

How Do You Fuel Your Workout?

Make sure your body has the fuel it needs to go the distance.

Energy bars, fitness drinks, protein powders, sports supplements — are these the best ways to power your workout? Here's the scoop on which foods can help fuel your fitness efforts.

What should I eat before a workout?

Your body needs fuel for exercise, but eating a large meal right before working out can cause discomfort. The exercising of muscles causes blood to be drained away from the stomach, slowing digestion which could result in an upset stomach. To avoid this, wait one to four hours after a meal before exercising. The larger the meal, the longer you should wait. If you haven't eaten in several hours, however, your fuel tank will be on empty. A small snack (such as yogurt, half a bagel or a piece of fruit) eaten 30 to 60 minutes before exercise will boost flagging blood sugar levels without causing you nausea or indigestion.

Carbohydrate is your body’s preferred fuel, so include whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruit, or nonfat or low-fat dairy products in meals and snacks eaten before a workout. Liquid meals, such as milk and fruit smoothies, are also an option. Avoid high-fat foods, because they slow digestion.

Are energy bars a good choice?

Energy bars are convenient but they're not magical. Their "energy" comes from about 250 calories worth of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. The small amount of special ingredients such as ginseng and ginkgo in some bars won't provide any additional energy boost. Choose low-fat bars with no more than 20 grams of protein. Or, try a bagel, yogurt and fruit, or fig bars — they will give you just as much energy and cost less.

Do I need a sports drink?

Sports drinks replace fluid lost in sweat and provide carbohydrates for energy. Drink them if your workout is strenuous and lasts more than an hour or if you sweat profusely. Sports drinks fall into two main categories:

  • High-carbohydrate sports drinks. These usually contain at least 10 percent carbohydrates. These are meant to be used before, not during, exercise.
  • Thirst-quenching and hydrating sports drinks. These are meant to be used during and after exercise. These usually contain 4 to 8 percent carbohydrates, making them low-carb drinks. The sodium levels range from 10 to 25 mmol/L, relatively low but safe. These drinks are available in carbonated and non-carbonated forms, and caffeinated and caffeine-free forms.

Factors to consider

When deciding which drink to buy, keep these points in mind:

  • Brand for brand, there's not much difference among the sports drinks in terms of their ability to quench your thirst or rehydrate you.
  • Sports drinks do improve performance in both intermittent and continuing moderate- to high-intensity sports. The benefits are greatest for trained athletes and less so for recreational exercisers.
  • If you are thinking of buying a high-carb drink, you should know that drinks with 10 percent or more carbohydrates might slow down your digestive process. Your stomach may feel increasingly full, but you won't get the benefits of rehydration.
  • Drinks containing a high level of fructose may cause gas, bloating, or cramps.
  • The caffeine in sports drinks doesn't appear to interfere with the drinks' ability to rehydrate.
  • The flavor of the drink and how much sodium it contains may affect how much fluid you drink.

Will sports supplements give me an edge?

Sports supplements, such as creatine, abound, but most have not been proven to boost performance. Amino acids do not appear to build muscle any better than the more balanced protein in food. Skip the protein powders, too. Serious athletes need slightly more protein than others do, but most people get plenty of protein from food. Chromium picolinate is touted for muscle building too, but the research is unclear.

Creatine, found in meat, fish, and poultry, is also made in the body from amino acids. A few studies show that it improves performance in activities like sprinting and jumping that require short bursts of energy. But it won't help recreational exercisers or endurance athletes.

Bottom line: Whether you're a weekend warrior or a seasoned athlete, your best performance comes from eating a balanced diet and drinking plenty of fluids.