While the pre-event meal is a key element to performance, fueling muscles and being well hydrated before exercise sessions will give Marc, Lauren and Anne the edge to train hard throughout the weeks leading up to Bayshore /upnorthlive.com photo

How often do you head out for your training run first thing in the morningbefore breakfast? Should you avoid eating before exercise if you are trying to lose weight? Does eating before exercise leave you feeling shaky, or with an upset stomach? While the pre-event meal is a key element to performance, fueling muscles and being well hydrated before exercise sessions will give Marc, Lauren and Anne the edge to train hard throughout the weeks leading up to Bayshore. Experimenting with food and drinks during training will also help them determine the best timing and tolerance for pre-exercise and pre-race foods.

Goals of nutrition before exercise include:

Fueling your brain, as well as your muscles, gives you mental stamina and focus to optimize training. While your body uses a greater share of fat for fuel while exercising in a fasted state (8 hours since your last meal) compared to doing the same workout after a carb-rich meal or snack, studies show that people are able to exercise harder and for a longer period when they consume carbs before exercise; training without pre-exercise fuel leads to decreased performance and early fatigue.

Overall, being able to exercise longer, at a higher intensity, will result in greater energy use (more calories burned), which is needed to cause fat loss. Consider the goals of your session to decide whether to eat or not before exercise. If your primary goal is to improve performance, have something to eat before exercise. If your primary goal is weight loss, as long as you will do the same amount of exercise (burn the same amount of calories, but over a longer time/distance), it is ok save your meal until after the session.

When to eat

Food eaten before exercise is only useful once it has been digested and absorbed. What and how much you eat affect how quickly you digest and absorb food. This means you need to time your meals and snacks so that the fuel is available during your exercise session. A general guide is to have a meal about 3-4 hours before exercise or a lighter snack about 1-2 hours before exercise. That said, its not always practical to eat a meal 3-4 hours before exercise. If any of the Three Amigos train early in the morning, they should choose a light snack about an hour before, even if it means getting up just a little earlier. For example, a glass of milk or juice and then some fruit or a cereal bar on the way to training can top off fuel stores. If scheduled for their long training run, Marc and Lauren can make up for their smaller carbohydrate intake prior to exercise by drinking a sports beverage during the event or training session.

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Sports nutrition : Eating before exercise