EATING FOR EXERCISE

• It's also important to keep hydrated, so drink plenty of water during the work out. This combination of healthy eating and proper hydration can positively impact your performance during a workout.
• Nourish your body before exercise A pre-exercise meal helps prevent low blood sugar levels and feelings of hunger during your workout, plus it provides energy to your muscles. Three to four hours before hitting the gym, snack on complex carbohydrates, since they are easily digested and absorbed into the blood. Avoid high-fat and high-protein foods. Good examples of pre-exercise meals rich in complex carbohydrates are a bowl of Cheerios with non-fat or low-fat milk and a banana, and whole-wheat waffles topped with sliced strawberries and vanilla yogurt.
• Nourish your body after exercise Generally, you should eat after a hard workout that lasts longer than an hour. This will help replenish those stored carbohydrates and fluids your body just worked off and aid muscle repair and recovery. It can take 24 to 48 hours for full muscle recovery after carbohydrate stores have been depleted. Your muscles are most receptive to replacing glycogen within the first two hours after a hard workout, but the sooner, the better. Try a protein drink or smoothie immediately after an endurance activity and then follow with a balanced meal two hours later. Examples of great post-exercise meals include a sweet potato with chili and mozzarella, a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, or pasta tossed with chicken and vegetables.