Should you eat before and after a workout?
Hey guys!
Cheap Clean Eats is baaaaack! It’s been a while. SORRY. Life has been crazy and also you wouldn’t believe it, but food videos are just so much more difficult and timely to film than workout videos! But in normal everyday activities, I’ve still been cooking at home and also experimenting a lot with some pre and post workout snacks, especially in the citrus department! Why? Because it’s naturally hydrating AND the vitamin C content helps support my immune system year round! (Can you believe I did not get sick this past winter when everyone else around me had the flu? CRAZY!)
There’s a lot that goes into staying healthy…exercise, eating well, getting sleep, etc. Citrus is one food that makes me feel good and supports my health, which is why I’m really thrilled that Sunkist reached out to partner with me on these recipes because I legit drink lemon water EVERY SINGLE MORNING. It is how I start life daily!
DO YOU REALLY NEED A PRE OR POST WORKOUT MEAL?
Well, if you are feeling low energy and need a boost before your workout, then you may want to eat a pre workout snack! And if you are feeling super exhausted after a workout and can’t really function or move, you may want to eat a post workout snack to help replenish your energy and rebuild your muscles.
With that said, pre and post workout meals are a great thing! However, they are not necessary for everyone. Because all of our bodies are engineered differently, some people can work out while fasted while others may pass out if they do the same. Be smart and listen to your body. Eat if you feel you need the food to boost the potential of your workout!
PRE- WORKOUT SNACKS:
When choosing a pre workout snack, pick something that has carbohydrates to give you a quick boost of energy. If you’re having a larger meal, try to have it about 2 hrs before your workout so that you have time to digest. But if you’re short on time and are just having a snack, then depending on your body, 30 minutes before could be okay too!
Here are 3 all natural pre-workout snacks that you can eat to give you energy!
#1. Tropical Energy Smoothie
– 1 Sunkist Navel Orange
– 1 Banana
– 1/3 C frozen pineapples
#2. DIY Sports Drink
– 1/2 C water
– 1 C Coconut Water
– 1 Sunkist Lemon
– 1 TBS honey
– 1 pinch salt
or keep it simple and just keep it simple and eat…
#3. A whole fruit!
For example, a banana, an apple, an orange, a grapefruit, a nectarine, some berries. Whatever fruit you like!
POST-WORKOUT SNACKS:
When choosing a post workout snack, pick something with a good mix of protein and carbs. The protein will help rebuild your muscles. The carbs will help replenish your energy stores.
#1. Protein shake with a banana
#2. String cheese, almonds, and an orange
#3. Hummus and Veggies
If you want to see it all in action, check out my YouTube video featuring all of the snacks:
Hope this was helpful guys! Let me know if you typically eat before a workout or if you wait til later. I am curious what kinds of POPsters we have out there! Learn more about citrus health benefits and check out more really tasty recipes for inspiration on the Sunkist Citrus website: https://bit.ly/2EJt9Ii
Personally, for me, it depends on the day and what I’ve already eaten if I’m talking about having something before an evening workout. But when it comes to food before a morning workout, I usually don’t eat anything because I’m not hungry when I wake up. But I will gulp down tons of lemon water before I do anything!
28 thoughts on “Should you eat before and after a workout?”
There are Array28 comments posted by our users.
Nice post, This post is very effective for those who like to exercise. It will help them to keep their body structure in order. Thanks for this post.
Very good and informative post, I always read your post regular. No doubt that this post is gonna be helpful to many people and also some women who love to lead a healthy life and who also concern about her figure. I also love to get the hourglass and perfect shape of a body. I always try to collect more informative information because I want to solve women waistline problem so they can archive an attractive body figure
Should I workout before or after breakfast in the morning?
The cut side of the lemon goes down in the lemon squeezer.
Well I always got confused on what i eat before and after workouts. That was really helpful
Hey, Cassie! Thanks for the information!
Could you tell me whether I should eat before a morning workout if I wanna lose some weight?
Thanx for this informative stuff, I was searching for that kind of pre and post-workout plan Thank you again sharing that.
Really good article. As I man who do sports and has own food supplements shop, I find useful information in these blog posts. Thank you
Hey Cassie
is there any sort of “coordination” between what food groups you eat and the type of workout you should do? For example, if I eat more carbs should I do a cardio workout? Or, if I eat more protein should I do a muscle endurance workout?
If I eat before a workout, I aim to finish what I’m eating 1 hour prior to my workout and I try to keep it super light. If I need a little boost for blood sugar and hydration (hot yoga!), I’ll drink coconut water and that keeps me nourished until I can have a full meal! I generally do have a good, healthy meal within 30 mins post workout.
You are so great! I am a highschool student and you really helped me get into fitness. You showed me how it can be fun! I LOVE seeing your vivacious and lively lively smile! Thanks for all you do and keep being you! P.S. I’m in for the #100abchallenge!
You have pointed out some valid points exceptionally well. As a nutritionist, I believe that a healthy eating is important to good health. You are serious about taking excellent care of your health at your home. Many professionals have completed continuing education and received certifications to ensure your home and your beloved health is well care of. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing this helpful information. You are inspiring me for healthy eating for a workout. I’m sure most people can take notes from this article. One thing most people lack experience while workout eating plan. Well, this post gives us some good ideas for workout eating.
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I do the post work out snacks, I just didn’t realize that oranges would be good too as its not really my favorite one. Next time i will have orange then. Great tips and so much information here. Thanks!
This is really helpful! I didn’t realize how well an orange could wake you up when you’re tired but they really do! I had been feeling tired dispite drinking a cup of coffee so I ate a couple small oranges and BOOM! I was all awake again! I need to incorporate them into more smoothies:)
Really great ideas and tips for Pre-Workout! But mostly i drink coffee because it has caffeine which supports me during the workout like more concentration, Eating 2 Bananas in preworkout is also a good choice! If you don`t have so much time.
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Hi, what protein shake should I try? There are so many on the market, how often should I have one and should it be straight after working out?
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I always visit your blog and reading all your recent and top posts. I think this type of post help me and also some women who love to lead a healthy and fashionable life. I also love to get the hourglass and perfect shape of a body. I always try to collect some informative information because I love to help women to solve their waistline problem. I need more information about how to solve women waistline problem?
Hello
I liked your post. Usually, I do not take anything before the workout. But after going through your post, I want to try the veggies and hummus combination. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you so much for all the ideas! I’m always confused at what time to eat. What would also be great is if you could make a video explaining the type of proteins I’m honestly a person who’s a little bit scared because I don’t know how it works but at the same time I want to try it because many people says it works great.
This is great – I love that you recognize everyone responds differently to food and encourage people to listen to their bodies.
I am a total “faster” before workout – but if I am working out at the end of a work day my body responds well to a quick snack – banana and mixed nuts with raisins and seeds. After working out, my body craves nutrition and I munch away on dried apricots and an apple (for healthy carb intake) while I cook a healthy meal. I can’t live without my spinach smoothies and home-made orange juice, and lots and lots of water!! I drink water endlessly throughout the entire day – mostly pure, but I also like to experiment with lemon, ginger, mint, cucumber, etc mixes!
Re-doing the beginner calendar after a big career/schedule change and I just watched an old cheap, clean eats! So excited to see a new one!!! Thank you so much for making this. Love them all, love the workouts. So many people have noticed and ask what I am doing to change my body. I am trying to talk them into a PiTT 28 challenge.
Cheap clean eats it back! 🙂 Cassie, do you find it much easier to eat healthy when you personally cook and bake at home or when you buy out?
I couldn’t agree with you more! All that fruit looks amazing – yummm! You can’t count on me for trying that smoothie. Not even necessarily before or after a workout. I would love to have that for breakfast too! Maybe with some granola on top – yummm!
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