Fuel Your Goals: Nutrition and Exercise Training

Exercise gets you moving, but nutrition keeps you going. Whether you're training for strength, endurance, or overall health, what you eat plays a major role in how you perform and recover. In this post, we’ll break down what you should be eating and drinking before, during, and after a workout.

Eating pre-training:

• Eat 1-2 hours before a training session, but not too heavy of a meal.
• 1-4 hours before high-intensity exercise, consume 1-4 grams of carbohydrates per kg of body weight. (Take weight in pounds and divide by 2.2 for kg of body weight.)
• Eat low to moderate glycemic foods throughout the day. Higher glycemic foods are absorbed better during exercise and after exercise (simple sugars).
• A meal higher in protein and fats will slow down digestion and can cause issues with exercise and GI upset.

Fluids pre-training:

Drink 8-16 ounces of water when you first wake up to hydrate from overnight, about two hours before your exercise, and then another cup 10-20 minutes before your exercise. Don’t drink too much before you exercise or GI upset can occur. The body can only absorb so much fluid and there’s no need to “hyper-hydrate.”

Nutrition during running:

• Eat higher glycemic foods during exercise for quick absorption (simple sugars). Examples include shot block, energy jellybeans, or gels — find what you like and try them during training.
• 30-60 grams is good for carb intake per hour but towards higher end (the 60 grams) for higher intensity.
• The ideal goal is 60-70 gm per hour, if you can tolerate it. If you’re training for a triathlon, full Ironman, etc. the optimal is 90 grams per hour, if you can tolerate it.
• You can train your body to work up to your goal over time in training sessions.
• You can alternate between gels and other products, and sports drinks count as well.

General fluid recommendations during all intense exercise longer than 90 minutes:

First, it is important to determine sweat rate (how many pounds of weight you lose during exercise) to determine how much to drink during exercise and to recover. The goal is to lose no more than 1-3 pounds of weight loss.

Fluids during training and competition:

• 1 cup of fluid (8 ounces) every 10-20 minutes of exercise (running).
• 7-10 ounces of fluid every 10-20 minutes of exercise (running).
• 4 cups (32 ounces) per hour on the bike.
• 2-3 cups per hour while running.
• Choose 6-8% solution of the concentration of carbohydrates in a sports drink—not above 8%.
• A combination of water and sports drinks is good for hydration due to the electrolytes in the sports drink and to help with hourly carbohydrate intake.
• If you’re taking a long swim and cannot break (as in open water) drink fluids right before swim and then after swim.

Post training recovery:

• Carbohydrates, fluids and protein are the focus.
• Consume carbohydrates 15-30 minutes after you exercise.
• Liquid calories can be helpful at first because you might not feel like a meal or snack right after training.
• Goal is about 1.2 grams carbohydrates per kg of body weight. Then again, each hour for the next 1-4 hours depending on training time.
• 2-3 cups (16-24 ounces) fluid for each pound of body weight lost during training (sweat rate) - sipping fluids over time versus large amounts at one time is better tolerated.
• Eat protein within 30 minutes if possible (6-20 grams is adequate) and then resume protein recommendations for the rest of the day.

Looking for exercise support?

If you're looking for personalized guidance and support on your exercise goals, consider scheduling a visit with a health coach at First Stop Health. They can help you build an exercise routine that fits into your lifestyle and create a nutrition plan that supports recovery and performance. They'll be right by your side offering motivation and accountability every step of the way!

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