When it comes to maximizing your workout, it’s not all about more weights, more reps and more demanding routines. In fact, some of your most important work won’t be done in the gym at all.

Whether you’re training for a triathlon or building muscle, losing weight or recovering from an injury, the foundation for your fitness journey is built on the food you use to fuel it. This means not only choosing the best foods to give your body the energy and nutrients it needs but also eating them at the best time to maximize your results.

In the end, you may even be spending as much time—if not more—planning and preparing proper nutrition, as you do on the workout itself. The effects of a healthy diet, however, will extend far beyond your workout goals.

Here are some basic guidelines from the fitness and nutrition experts at SMH RENEW to get you started.

Pre-Workout Nutrition: More Than Protein

The goal of your pre-workout nutrition is to make sure your muscles have enough glycogen, which is your body’s main energy source.

Essentially stored sugars (glucose), glycogen forms a readily available short-term energy stockpile in the muscles and liver that the body can quickly break down for fuel.

When your body has a rich supply before a workout, you can push yourself to peak performance and get the most out of your exercise. On the other hand, low glycogen levels not only hinder performance with reduced strength and increased fatigue, but can even cause potentially dangerous loss of focus, dizziness or shakiness.

How do you build your glycogen stores before a workout? Carbohydrates.

Glycogen comes from carbohydrates, so most of your pre-workout nutrition should come in that form. But be sure to include some protein. Protein is what repairs and rebuilds muscle, and eating a bit before your workout can give your results that extra boost.

Go easy on the fats though.

Here are some pre-workout meal and snack suggestions to get you started:

Post-Workout Nutrition: Rebuild & Restore

The goal of your pre-workout nutrition is to refill your energy stores and give your body what it needs to build the most muscle it can while you recover.

Post-exercise, your glycogen levels will be depleted. This is doubly true if you had a particularly intense workout or skipped your pre-workout nutrition.

You will be tired but don’t start slacking now.

Ideally, your post-workout nutrition should be eaten within 30-60 minutes after exercising and include plenty of carbohydrates and protein. Protein is particularly important post-workout, as it prevents excessive muscle damage and supplies your body with the necessary amino acids to promote muscle synthesis (growth).

Pro-Tip: Aim for at least 20 grams of protein for each post-workout meal, more if you lifted heavy weights.

Here are some post-workout meal and snack suggestions to get you started:

 

More Resources to Stay Healthy

Follow RENEW on Instagram and Facebook for regular wellness tips. And click here to learn more about RENEW and sign up for an upcoming program.

Each RENEW Program includes:

1. 6-weeks of virtual health coaching
2. Daily meal feedback from nutritionists and registered dietitians
3. Weekly lessons and workout classes (in-person and virtual)
4. Mediterranean & plant-based meal plans* with easy meal planning strategies
5. Techniques to develop inner peace
6. Online curriculum, resources, and more

To learn more about HealthFit, Sarasota Memorial’s award-winning medically integrated fitness center, with licensed trainers and expert physiologists on staff to help members craft workout regimens and meet their goals, click here.

 

 

Written by Sarasota Memorial copywriter Philip Lederer, MA, who crafts a variety of external communications for the healthcare system. SMH’s in-house wordsmith, Lederer earned his Master’s degree in Public Administration and Political Philosophy from Morehead State University, KY, and has the muscle mass of a heavy reader.