Eating after exercise or before? SO you do it right

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Eat after the sport? Or better to eat before the workout? I have the answers and a few tips on nutrition and sports for you!

At least as important as the training itself is the right nutrition. Whether you choose to eat before or after exercise has a big impact on your training success.

Food plays an important role and can help your body train or hinder it from achieving peak performance.

It depends not only on what you eat, but also on when you eat meals.

Nutrition and training

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What to look for when eating before training

Training in the morning or in the evening? That is a matter of taste.

I have a hard time getting up in the morning to go for a run or do a workout.

Especially in spring, summer and fall, I like to grab my running shoes in the evening and enjoy the temperatures.

You prefer to train in the evening? Welcome to the club!

With both variants, however, the question arises: What should you eat before the workout? It should not be too heavy, but still give strength for training.

Here's what to look for when you eat before a workout

  • Timing
  • Drinking
  • Carbohydrates

1. the right timing of eating before exercise

One of the most important rules is: keep enough time interval between eating and your workout.

2 hours before exercise you should eat an easily digestible meal. It should be low in fat and fiber. Burgers, dumplings or schnitzel therefore fall flat.

Must haves for athletes:

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2. drink enough throughout the day

If you train in the evening, make sure you spread it out over the day. Sufficient liquid you consume. Ideally, these should not be sugary drinks, but tap or mineral water.

If that's too boring for you, you can use Mix in fresh fruit or vegetables.

Drink enough

Drinking 2 liters right before a workout puts a strain on your body, you get a water belly and if your bladder is weak, you also only manage a few steps until you have to go to the next restroom. I always drink 0.3 liters of tap water ten minutes before the start.

3. eat carbohydrates and protein

Just like after a workout, the same applies to eating beforehand: Don't eat too much. Our carbohydrate stores are limited.

Rather reach for a small portionThey can be digested more quickly by your body and thus provide more energy.

As an amateur runner, however, you don't need to rely on carbohydrates. Just grab a banana or a peach - both will give you energy for a short run.

Quickly usable carbohydrates bring an energy boost within a few minutes.

Try that, too:

  • Toast with peanut butter and banana
  • Apple rings with peanut butter
  • Yogurt with fruit
  • A bread with hard boiled egg and cheese

What you should eat after exercise

After a long run, eating and drinking are very important. Your body loses much Liquid and its Carbohydrate stores is empty.

Do you decide to eat directly after the run are easily digestible Food just right.

Your body has already exerted itself during sports, so you should not torture it additionally with too heavy food after running. 

Try

  • Protein shake with a tablespoon of nut puree and fruit
  • Vegetable omelet with bread
  • A piece of chicken or salmon with vegetables

Right after sports, drinking is much more important than eating. I always reach for normal Tap water.

Professional runners and all those who cover long distances lose a lot of fluid through sweating during sports.

Eating before or after sports

But magnesium and sodium are also sweated out. These tanks need to be refilled.

Recommend trainer Mineral water containing sodium and magnesium, fruit juices or fruit juice spritzers. I am not a fan of spritzers after running. I stick to still water. But that is purely a matter of taste.

Although drinking after exercise is much more important, eating after exercise should not be forgotten. High athletic stress empties your carbohydrate stores.

Here you should rely on easily digestible food. Your blood sugar level is also in the basement after a long run: Fill up your glycogen depots! The quickest way to do this is with bananas.

Eat after exercise and lose weight - Is it possible?

In the first period after the run, your metabolic rate is increased. This is also called Afterburn effect. If you want to lose weight with sports, you have to be careful when eating after running. Often you get a ravenous appetite an hour after exercise.

After a casual, short run, your body didn't burn too many calories and your muscles weren't used as much either.

It is therefore neither necessary nor advisable to eat too many calories. Eating before the workout helps to prevent hunger from getting too big in the first place.

To satisfy hunger after running and still eat few calories, you should rely on High fiber foods set. Dried fruit is ideal for this. What do you think of Wholemeal bread with Cream cheese and fresh cress or sprouts? They contain a lot of vitamins and fiber.

Cravings you can avoidby not running on an empty stomach. If you have already eaten a little before the run, no excessive feeling of hunger can arise.

If you want to lose weight by jogging, you need to drink a lot. Your stomach will fill up with water and you will feel full.

After training, professionals rely on a combination of carbohydrates and proteins. You can learn a thing or two from that. But only when you are really a professional runner :)

You are still hungry? There are quite a few Low calorie foodthat are just right for you now.

Our conclusion

Whether in the morning or in the evening, drinking after a run is much more important than eating. Drinking and eating have a big impact on your training success. Therefore, pay attention to what you eat and at what time.

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