Eating before a workout

Do you ever wonder what to eat before working out? I used to wonder the same thing. Should I just eat a small piece of bread to hold me over, a power bar to give me energy, should I just drink a protein shake? While that may be a wandering question, it is not only about what you eat but when you eat before getting your sweat on at the gym or on the pavement. When you exercise after a large meal, you may feel sluggish or have an upset stomach, cramping, and worse diarrhea. That is because your muscles and digestive system are competing with each other for energy resources. Your body can digest food while you're active, but not as well as it can when you're not exercising. This is partly because your body is trying to do two things requiring blood supply and energy simultaneously - digesting the food you just ate and providing ATP to keep your muscles active. On the flip side, not eating before you exercise can be just as bad as eating too much. Low blood sugar levels that result from not eating can make you feel weak, faint or tired, and your mental abilities may be affected as well, making you slower to react. So what can you do? To get the most from your workout, follow these guidelines:

• Eat a full breakfast!!! If you are an early riser and prefer to get your workout in before your day begins, wake up early enough to eat a nourishing breakfast with a good amount of fiber and complex sugar or carbs found in oatmeal, grain breads, veggies). If you consume simple sugar in the morning, prepare to be hungry shortly after as it is digested quickly by your body. Examples include table sugar, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, honey, brown sugar). 
• Time your meals. Eat large meals at least three to four hours before exercising. If you are having a small meal, eat two to three hours before exercising. 
• Don't skip meals! Skipping meals can cause a drop in blood sugar levels, which can make you feel weak and lightheaded. If you are short on time before your workout, and your choice is candy or nothing, eat the candy because it can improve your performance, compared with eating nothing. BUT, keep in mind, all candy is high in sugar and low on nutrients, so a banana or another piece of fruit would be the better choice. Try to steer away from dairy products as they will curdle in your stomach, giving you a stomach ache later on. This may not be for some people so if it works for you, great! If not, try a piece of fruit. 
• Eat after your workout. To help your muscles recover and to replace their glycogen stores, eat a meal that contains both protein and carbohydrates within two hours of your exercise session if possible. A great easy, quick recipe containing both is to combine cooked rice, chicken, stewed tomatoes and black beans with a dash of mozzarella cheese. I LOVE this dish and it is so easy to make (courtesy of Jonathan Haller).