A common question that a lot of people ask me as a personal trainer is, "what should I eat before I workout?" The generic answer that I kept hearing when I hired a personal trainer a few years ago was to eat a small piece of fruit but never workout with an empty stomach. When I asked him why, he couldn't really give me a clear answer. So, I followed his advice and proceeded to not get enough progress in my so called "weight loss program" which he designed. I was frustrated. As a lot of people, I was confused about pre-workout nutrition.
Now, when my clients ask me what they should eat before a workout, my answer is simple: workout on an empty stomach or, if you can't do that, drink water with 1 scoop of protein powder. The one thing you need to know is to not eat a lot of carbohydrates before your workout. The human body uses carbohydrates as its main source of energy so if you don't have carbs in your system, you will mainly use stored body fat for energy. This is the perfect situation especially since most of us want to utilize our stored body fat for energy when we want to lose weight.
I know what you're thinking, you're probably asking, "will I lose my muscle if I don't eat before a workout?" The answer is no. Your body will use stored body fat first before it even considers using protein from your muscle because your body can easily convert fat to energy compared to protein. So, rest your worries and see the fat come off while you keep your muscle mass.
So, what if you can't workout on an empty stomach (or at least you think you can't)? Drink a protein shake. Basically, just mix 1 scoop of protein powder with water and drink half of it pre-workout and half of it after you workout. Essentially, if you stick to drinking a low-carb protein powder, you still don't have carbs in your blood system.
Take note, both strategies work great if you workout in the morning. What if you workout in the afternoon after work? This is how you can do it: for lunch, you would want to eat foods that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. If your lunch time is at noon but you wanted a snack before you workout, eat a handful of almonds, walnuts, pecans, or any healthy nuts. The healthy fat in the nuts will give you energy for your workout with minimal carbohydrates. Whichever time of the day you workout, the key is to make sure that you don't eat a ton of carbs pre-workout so you can use your stored body fat for energy.
Your diet before you workout is just as important compared to your diet after a workout. Basically, you want your body to be more efficient at burning fat during your workout because it doesn't have to use carbohydrates from your diet for energy. When you follow these strategies, you can be sure that you will get more results from your workout and nutrition without working harder in the gym.
Author Resource:-
Anna Dornier is a certified Russian Kettlebell Instructor (RKC) and National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM CPT) who currently lives in Northern California in a city that sits several miles east of the San Francisco Bay. For more fat loss articles, visit her blog at at www.pathtofatloss.com
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