Should you eat before a morning workout?

When you are training first thing in the morning for around 60 minutes, you can train empty or have a small snack. Having a small carbohydrate snack before your workout like a small banana, Medjool dates or a small glass of juice has been suggested to improve workout performance and may allow you to work out for a longer time or at a higher intensity. If you don’t eat, you might feel lethargic or lightheaded when you exercise and that isn’t a nice way to start your day!

If you are eating before your workout, aim to eat at least 1 hour prior to starting to allow your body to digest your meal.  

Sufficient energy has been used throughout your workout, so fuelling your body within 30 to 60 minutes afterwards is extremely important. This will help your muscles to recover and replace their glycogen stores, so try to eat a meal that contains both carbohydrates, protein and good fats. This timeframe is important to follow because delaying eating will decrease your energy for the rest of the day.

Examples of a complete post-training breakfast could include the following: 

• Sourdough with poached eggs, wilted spinach, hollandaise and avocado.  
• Green smoothie with almond milk or coconut milk, spinach, kale, celery, beet greens, frozen fruit – banana, pineapple, mango, protein powder  
• Chia seed pudding – chia seeds, nut milk, protein powder, fresh berries and seeds. 

Remember, to meet your fitness goals, your nutrition is just as important as your exercise!