How to Plan Best Pre-Workout Meal

How to plan the best pre-workout meal
Wondering how to increase your energy and stamina? Successful training and race day starts
with having the right tools, coaching, and nutrition to run your best and stay energized. One
piece of the race day success pie is your nutrition! Your pre-workout meal can be the reason
you get through the race hitting PRs and not having stomach issues.
Timing your pre-race or training meal is key to keeping your energy up and stomach issues to a
minimum. The last meal before training or the race should be no less than 4 hours before start
time. Why is that? A full meal will usually contain all three of the macronutrients, carbohydrates,
proteins, and fats. While carbohydrates are quick digesting, protein, and fats are more complex
and take more time to digest while also requiring more hydrochloric acid to break them down. If
we are having a meal that contains all three of these nutrients right before a workout or race, we
are highly likely to have gas, nausea, reflux, and to feel more sluggish. But don’t worry, a meal 4
hours before exercise should not cause any issues at all while you are running.
So how do we make the perfect pre-workout meal? Let’s build a training plate that has
carbohydrates, protein, and fruits/vegetables on it to help with long-term energy. Try pairing
pasta, potato, bread, or rice, about 1-1.5c depending on the person, with 3-4 ounces of protein
and at least 1-1.5c color on your plate. Ideally, the plate ends up looking like 1/3 protein, 1/3
carb, and 1/3 color. Do not forget to add water to this meal as well!
Pre-workout meal ideas:
- Sandwich with 3-4 slices of meat, 1 slice of cheese with light mayonnaise, an apple on
the side, and a bag of pretzels.
- Burrito made with whole grain tortilla, 1/2c black beans, chicken, light sour cream, ¼
avocado, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and onion.
- Salad with rice, lean steak, vegetables, cheese, 2 tbsp oil-based dressing, croutons, and
fruit on the side
- 1 c Yogurt or cottage cheese with 2/3c granola, 1c mixed berries, and a slice of whole
grain toast
- Tenderloin with baked potato with ½ tbsp butter, 1.5c broccoli or other vegetable
For more information, and support and to set up a goal-setting call, head to
Nourishedwithemily.com!

How to Fuel Up for Exercise
For the best efficiency, energy, and then recovery, eating something before exercise is crucial.
This is especially important if you are unable to have a meal a few hours before exercise, so,
morning exercisers, this is for you! What we eat 30 minutes to an hour before training is what
can make the difference with sustained energy throughout the exercise bout. This sweet spot in
time is where we need to be focusing on two things: hydration and carbohydrates.
Let’s talk about hydration. About 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to exercise, we should aim to get in
at least eight ounces of water, even up to 16 ounces. This is crucial for hydration as well as
preventing muscle cramping during exercise. If you are exercising in a hot and humid
environment, this is even more important to practice. Our hydration not only will impact how our
body is functioning and processing energy, it also will affect how our bodies are cooling
ourselves to prevent overheating and heat stroke. These 8-16 ounces of water prior to exercise
can be the missing piece if you cramp easily.
For fuel, in this pre-workout window, we want to ONLY have carbohydrates here. Do not try to
grab a cheeseburger then run, it’ll be coming back up fast and won’t taste great. Simple carbs
before exercise break down fast and are the primary fuel you’re using throughout the workout.
Having too much protein or fat with this snack can cause nausea, GERD, and vomiting which all
will slow down your time and workouts. Aim for 15-30g of carbs in the 30–60-minute window
before exercise for peak energy and stamina.
Need some pre-workout snack ideas?
- Simple yogurt
- Dried fruit like raisins or craisins
- Pretzels
- Berries, apples, pears, etc.
- Granola bar (should be less than 10g protein and fat)
- Toast with jam or light butter
- Energy Goos
- Skittles or simple, sugar-based candy
- Cookie
- Fruit snacks
For more information, resources, and support and to set up a goal-setting call, head to
Nourishedwithemily.com.

What should I be eating to refuel during a workout?

Nourishing your body during exercise is not always something you’re thinking about, is it?
You may not need to worry about an in-workout snack if you’re exercising for less than an
hour, but if you’re training for longer than that, you might need to start thinking about
refueling to keep you going. Refueling mid-exercise is highly recommended for distance
training and longer bouts of strength training. During exercise, your body is tapping into fuel
stores in your muscle, where glycogen is stored, to keep you going and energized. When we
start to drain these stores, we can feel weak, low energy, and sometimes start to cramp. If
you’re exercising for an hour or longer, think about adding in a snack at your halfway point to
refuel. If you’re running, think about a snack every 3-4 miles to keep your energy up and
muscles working properly.
What are the best options for in-workout fueling? Think just like the pre-exercise snack, we
only want carbohydrates during exercise. That is because they digest faster, they start
digesting in the mouth and hit the bloodstream faster to nourish the cells and keep you
going. Fats and protein sources take longer for your body to break down and utilize and use
more HCL (hydrochloric acid) and enzymes to digest which can cause nausea, vomiting,
and cramping. Ideally, you’re consuming about 15-30g of carbohydrates every 30-45
minutes to aid in energy efficiency.
Here are some of our favorite mid-workout snacks:
 Goo Gels
 Honey Stinger Waffles
 Pixie Sticks or other sugar-based candy
 Pretzels
 Fruit snacks
 Juice
 Dried fruit
 Simple Granola Bar
 Applesauce packets
For more information, resources, and support and to set up a goal-setting call, head to
Nourishedwithemily.com.

How can I stay hydrated during a workout?

Did you know that the process of sweating is your body trying to cool down its internal
temperature? Without being adequately hydrated, you put yourself at risk for heat exhaustion
and heat stroke, especially in warmer temperatures and climates. Besides nutrition, hydration
should be your big focus for exercise to ensure that you do not put yourself in a dangerous
situation.
About 1 hour before exercise, consider drinking about sixteen ounces of water, or one bottle, to
help with priming your body for exercise and to help with digestion. Chugging water before
movement can cause nausea and GERD as your body tries to process it through the GI tract, so
giving yourself some time before moving can help make sure you feel great while moving.
During exercise, consider drinking about 8 ounces every 15-30 minutes, depending on the
intensity of exercise and temperature to help maintain hydration status. If you’re someone who
is a heavy sweater, consider drinking water every 15 minutes to maintain your hydration status.
If you are exercising in hotter conditions, electrolyte beverages or supplements may be
warranted. These can be especially important if you are a salty sweater. This means you may
find white powder on your clothes after exercise or see salt crystals on your skin. Using
electrolyte drinks may help with replenishing what has been lost through exercise and sweating.
To find out which may be best for you, click here to read this blog on hydration aids.
Want to know what your sweat rate is? Try weighing yourself before and after exercise,
subtracting how many ounces you drank during exercise, and then drinking at least sixteen
ounces per pound lost. The weight you lose during exercise is not fat loss, it is fluid loss from
sweating. By drinking back what you have lost, you’ll ensure proper hydration and prevent
dehydration.

Check out the Nourished with Emily blog on hydration aids here:
https://www.nourishedwithemily.com/post/choosing-the-right-hydration-aid-lmnt-liquid-iv-or-
nuun-for-your-fitness-goals

How to get the most out of your workouts with post-exercise nutrition

What you eat post-exercise has a significant impact on how well you recover and how your body
handles exercise and race day. Exercise tears muscle in the body to build new muscle as well
as work your heart muscle to be stronger and more efficient. Without properly refueling from
exercise, we run the risk of increased stress on the body, reduced recovery, and even injury.
What should I be eating post-exercise? The optimal nutritional balance post-exercise is a 3:1
carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. The carbohydrates will help replenish the energy stored in your
muscles that were used up during exercise and the protein helps to rebuild the muscle that was
torn during exercise to make you stronger. Without these two things, your body may struggle to
recover from the stress that exercise induces on the body along with slower results from
exercise.
What are some great 3:1 carb-to-protein ratio snacks? Here are some of the Nourished with
Emily favorites:
 Bada Bean Snacks
 Roasted Chickpeas
 Chocolate Milk
 PBJ sandwich
 Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with fruit
 Smoothie with fruit and yogurt added in
 Energy Bites (oats with honey, nut butter, coconut, and chocolate)
These are just some of our favorite post-exercise snacks that help boost recovery and repair in
the body and are all things you can take on the go. Give one of these a try and see how you
feel.
For more info and easy recipe ideas, go to Nourishedwithemily.com and check out our
resources, recipes, blogs, coaching programs and more!