Dear Fun and Fit: What should we eat before and after a workout? (There are loads of different stories about it.)
— Hanna in Mooncoin, Ireland
Dear Fun and Fit: What’s the best thing to consume before a workout? And how long should you wait after eating before hitting the gym for maximum performance and gain?
— Mary in Holland, Mich.
Alexandra: Hanna and Mary, have you two met? Similar question, different countries. Destined to meet and eat.
Before and after a workout, you should eat — wait for it — food. Healthful food. Stand back, experts at work. Dare I say carbohydrates and protein? In an excellent article, Jenna Bell-Wilson, Ph.D., RD, LD (this all means she’s an official expert) gives more complete details, but here are some carb-protein combo nuggets of info for you (no chickens were harmed in the making of our nuggets):
» whole-grain toast and peanut butter
» orange and cottage cheese
» yogurt and granola
» nuts and apple
» hard-boiled egg and wheat bagel
» chicken breast (still not a nugget) and rice
» string cheese and pretzels
If you’re looking for the doughnut and coffee combo, I’ll just tell you now, it ain’t going to happen. We would never recommend such a combo — although a certain twin who is not Alexandra would consider consuming it.
Kymberly: Hold on. I don’t drink coffee. Gee, what kind of aspersions are you casting about, twin who is not mine.
As for the aspect of timing your food and workouts, the best answer is to listen to your body. Mine tells me to skip the coffee and doughnuts — so there! — but to eat for sure. In fact, I’m one of those hearty sorts who can exercise intensely five minutes after eating, no prob. In general, though, time your workouts according to your meal size. If you eat a large meal — of carbs and protein — wait two to four hours before intensely exercising. If you want to work out sooner after you eat, then chow down on a smaller meal and wait about an hour or two. The Mayo Clinic further suggests that you eat protein and carbs within two hours post-workout.
But you know what? I live in the practical, real world. If I want to work out in the morning, I for sure want to eat brekkie first. But I’m not going to wait until midday — three or four hours post brekkie — to get a goin’. Nor am I going to wake up at “too early stupid o’clock” to eat at 4:10 a.m. to be able to catch an 8 a.m. class. Remember the big picture: Eat when you are hungry, be active as much as you can, and focus on carbs and protein pre- and post-workout. Ta da!
A: Here’s what I always tell my students at the U: The closer it is to the ground, the better it is for you. The best workout food is grown, not processed into a foodlike substance (as Michael Pollan calls it).
K: Dear regular fit people (not high-level, competitive athletes): In case you are busy timing and planning your food and exercise, let me sum up the relevant portion of the article my sis recommended. “Consume a balanced snack two to three hours prior to exercise and … consume a carbohydrate- and protein-containing snack or meal following the session to help (you) advance (your) workout, enhance (your) glycogen stores and recover successfully.”
Please pass the box of chocolates.
Readers: What are your hot tips on what and when to eat relative to your workouts? And don’t tell us anything boring or we’ll drown our boredom in a doughnut.
— Identical twins and fitness pros Kymberly Williams-Evans and Alexandra Williams have been in the fitness industry since the first aerobics studio opened on the European continent. They teach, write, edit, emcee and present their programs worldwide on land, sea and airwaves. They co-write Fun and Fit: Q and A with K and A. You can currently find them in action leading classes in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Kymberly is the former faculty minor adviser at UCSB for its fitness instruction degree offered through the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies; Alexandra serves as an instructor and master teacher for the program. Fun and Fit answers real questions from real people, so please send your comments and questions to info@funandfit.org.