Finding out what you should consume pre and post-workout may seem difficult. Much like fuelling a car before you go anywhere, the food you eat before working out is what allows your body to work. The snack or meal you eat after the workout should ideally be composed to aid your muscle recovery and growth. Both the pre- and post-workout snacks should be a perfect balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein.

Did you know that your body is constantly building muscle and recovering? Not only when you’re working out and breaking a sweat at the gym. So, if you time your snacks intelligently and eat the right ones, you can make sure your body has the energy to keep you going, build those muscles and burn fat.

For workouts shorter than 60 minutes, you won’t need that big of a snack, but you’ll still want to fuel your body before hitting the gym or the workout of your choice. If you’re up for even longer training sessions, make sure to fuel yourself properly before and maybe even consider snacking during the workout.

However, you might still be wondering: what exactly are these snacks you should be eating? Wonder no more – in this article, you’ll find out exactly what to eat to fuel your body. You will also figure out when to eat it and what you should pay attention to.

When should you eat your healthy snacks?

Now you have figured out that you should eat a snack, you’re probably wondering when the best time is. Let’s start with the pre-workout one. Ideally, you’ll want to grab a bite between half an hour and a maximum of three hours before your workout. By doing that, your body will have the chance to digest by the time you start your training. The food is, therefore, not uncomfortably rummaging in your stomach while you exercise. By not eating too long before your workout, you’re going to make sure that all the energy is still available for you to put into working out.

For the post-workout snack, make sure to replenish the used calories soon. Either eat a snack or a meal after your exercise. The time frame is really up to you but try to eat something in the first hour after finishing. As with most things, when you should eat, the exact time frame is entirely dependent on your body, so experiment with which works best for you.

What should you pay attention to?

Make sure your pre-workout snack has carbs. Carbohydrates give you energy as the body breaks them into glucose. When you work out, your body consumes glycogen, which is the glucose stored in the muscles. Snacking on a carbohydrate-rich bite before putting those muscles to work ensures you’ll have enough energy to hit the gym. You’ll want to go for complex carbs, which can be found in oatmeal, pieces of fruit, and granola bars. In addition to carbs, you want your pre-workout snack to have protein. Heavy exercise can cause light tears in your muscles, which your body repairs in recovery. In order to do that, it needs protein, which is why it makes sense to include it in both your post and pre-workout snacks. Especially if your goal is to build muscle, make sure to eat plenty of protein. Great sources of protein include nuts, chicken, and eggs.

What healthy snacks should you eat?

If you like to eat before working out or if your workout will last longer than 60 minutes, you should eat a snack 30 to 60 minutes prior. Keep it small and make sure it includes carbs, protein, and a bit of healthy fat. In the following, you’ll find some of our suggestions on what you could eat either before or after your workout:

Power Pads

Have you ever heard of power pads? They consist of fruits and nuts and are small enough to fit in your bag to eat on the go. The combination of fruit and nuts means that you’ll get a perfect snack containing carbohydrates, fat, and protein to fuel your body before and after your workout.

Egg on avocado toast

An easy snack you can prepare for yourself before or after your workout is an egg on avocado toast. It’s simple and quick to make, and it provides you with all the necessary nutrients. The toast, preferably whole wheat, gives you the necessary carbs. The egg is a good source of protein, and the avocado will provide you with good fats. If this is still too time-consuming for you, the next snack might be the one for you.

Energy balls

With their enthusiastic name, energy balls are exactly what you are searching for as a pre- or post-workout snack. They can be found under various names, among them energy bites, protein balls, and power balls. You can make these small unbaked balls by yourself, or if you live a busy life, you can simply buy them for convenience. With a taste selection of everything you could wish for, these small but filling snacks are guaranteed to appeal to everyone. As they usually provide a combination of dried fruit, nuts, or nut butter and seeds, they are the perfect snack for both pre- and post-workout refueling.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal by itself is already a great staple that makes for a great, healthy, and inexpensive snack. The complex carbohydrates slowly release energy, meaning it’s great for supplying you with power during your whole workout. If you eat oatmeal after your exercise, consider going for protein oatmeal, which is made by simply adding protein powder.

Snack packs

Snack packs are great for everyone who’s always on the move and need to refuel quickly before or after a workout. But what exactly do snack packs consist of? They bring three different components to the table, usually a combination of different dried fruits and sometimes even nuts. Snack packs are a perfect choice for pre- and post-workout as the fruit provides you with the necessary carbs and is packed with a delicious natural sweet flavor.

As you can tell, it’s not that difficult to find out what you can eat as a pre- and post-workout snack. We hope that with this article you have gained some inspiration for the snacks you can eat.

Check out https://mothernature-healthydelights.com/ for more healthy snack ideas.