January 18th 2025

Are You Eating Right Before Training?

Nutrition fads come and go, and most have a differing opinion on what is best- but what we can all agree is that fuelling correctly for exercise is beneficial to your performance as well as your recovery in both training and competition.

Eating before activity can delay fatigue and help you exercise at your best. A tired athlete won’t perform well and may lose power, strength, and speed during a workout. Additionally, eating before exercise can help with focus and mental alertness.

We caught up with our mates at CLIF and nuun to get their take on what to eat and drink before exercise. Here’s what they had to say…

When planning a pre-workout snack, first consider the timing. In general, as you get closer to exercise time, the snack or meal should get smaller and higher in carbohydrates. If there are three or more hours before a workout, a carbohydrate-rich meal with some protein and fat can be consumed with plenty of time for the food to be digested and absorbed before exercise. Protein and fat take longer to digest, so as time to exercise gets closer, there should be a greater focus on consuming carbohydrate-rich foods.

Drinking plenty of fluids before (and during) exercise helps prevent fatigue and dehydration, especially when exercising in hot and humid conditions. Many exercisers begin their workout slightly dehydrated, so it’s important to grab some water before training to help optimize your performance.

3 Common mistakes to avoid when fuelling up before a workout:

 

  1. Not eating enough food

Eating before exercise helps provide the fuel needed to power through a tough workout. Consider the entire day’s meals and snacks and plan them around your exercise to get the most out of a workout.

  1. Not eating the right food

Choose wholesome foods. Quality carbohydrates (like oats, whole-grain breads, cereals, pasta, and rice), fruits, vegetables, and dairy or non-dairy milks are all great choices. Protein from poultry, eggs, fish, seafood, and plant-based sources (e.g. soy, beans, peas, and nuts) provide needed amino acids, and “good” fat from olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds deliver beneficial mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

Sports foods can provide a practical form of nutrition support that is convenient, portable, and tasty. Look for those that are crafted with expertise, using wholesome, nutritious ingredients. Clif Bar & Company’s foods are great examples. They provide performance energy built around energizing, sustainably grown ingredients that are expertly combined to help optimize athletic performance before, during, and after training and competition.

  1. Too much food

Some people feel that exercising gives them a license to eat whatever and whenever they like. Exercise has many positive health benefits and providing the body with the right fuel at the right time can enhance those benefits. With that said, it’s important to be mindful of the timing, duration, and intensity of your exercise to ensure you are not overeating — as that can negatively impact health. 

CLIF and nuun will be on the course at the Mount Festival – Stay tuned to find out what flavours you can look forward to!