5 Pre-Workout Foods To Boost Your Performance

Ashwin has a fixed workout routine that he gets to as soon as he freshens up in the morning. But, he often feels tired even before he hits the gym. Let’s find out about some of the pre-workout foods that Ashwin and many other readers like him can consume to boost performance.

Exercising is important in today’s times to stay fit. Our food choices define us, but our workout preferences present us. The world has evolved, earlier only healthy alternatives existed that allowed people to stay fit. With the introduction of western habits, the food patterns have changed from healthy to junk. You need to make a choice wisely. Food has a direct impact on our bodies. If you make a poor food choice, it reflects on your physique. To make yourself healthy again, working out is an alternative.

On the other hand, even if you are making the right food preferences it is important to work out. You need to build your body strength and immunity. Especially in today’s time of covid-19, having sufficient body strength and immunity can help fight the pandemic. Working out requires a lot of time, energy, and consistency. One can consider a workout to be a ritual that one shall keep practicing. Although the energy required for working out or to carry out any bodily function the body requires energy. Our body receives energy in the form of food we consume. It always comes down to our food choices. Working out is important but to receive the maximum output, the food choices to be made shall be optimum in expecting maximum results.

Why is working out important?

Working out provides a lot of benefits that help a person exist healthily in the future. Some of the reasons why workout is important are:

• Exertion

Our body consists of muscles and tissues that require regular wear and tear. Exercising helps the body to be exerted, it gives a person the feel-good factor. Exercising helps one to increase their self-esteem, reduce depression, and thus it is safe to say that exercise has a positive impact on one’s mind too. As your body is exerted, you can also have a good night’s sleep.

• Losing weight

Obesity, diabetes, thyroid, blood pressure, and more diseases can be avoided in case, one keeps themselves healthy. To be healthy, you need to consistently practice exercise. In today’s time, being fit has become a necessity.

• Aging

Exercising helps you to age at a reduced pace and makes you look young and beautiful. It may not seem so important now but soon, if you exercise regularly, you will thank your body for not giving up. A car if not used up for many years begins to rust. In the same way, if you do not use your body efficiently the joints and muscles begin to become stiff thereby, raising problems.

Exercising is an important aspect of everyone’s life today, and one shall practice it consistently.

Now, the food we need to consume before a workout for optimal results is called pre-workout foods.

What is pre-workout food?

Working out is a hefty job and to allow the process to be completed smoothly it is important to nourish your body with the right foods and drinks. Our body needs to keep running and have a lot of energy. The amount of energy consumed from the foods that we eat before hitting the gym or working out, in general, is called pre-workout foods. 

One can choose their pre-workout meals according to the energy requirement they will have that again depends on the type of workout one is going to undertake. You have to eat right before beginning your workout session. The right amount of food boosts your energy thereby, allowing you to out-perform your routine. In case one has had little food they feel weak after they work out and if one has overeaten then they begin to feel lethargic.

Pre-workout meals are important because you cannot go on for exercising without having the necessary energy for the same. In this case, let us take an example –

A car is running at 150 miles per hour but does not have sufficient fuel. What do you think will happen? It will break down eventually. Think of the same about your body. You cannot do an intense workout if you do not have sufficient energy in your body.

5 Pre-workout foods:

One has to choose their pre-workout foods wisely. Let us take a look at some of the pre-workout foods that Ashwin can try to boost his performance in the gym:

1. Chicken, rice, and vegetable

The chicken, rice, and vegetable combination are considered to be a classic pre-workout meal. The meal consists of a whole lot of fats, protein and carbohydrates, and amino acids. Chicken consists of proteins that help fix any damaged muscle fibers while rice consists of proteins that refuel the muscle glycogen levels by replacing them. The combination of these foods promotes muscle growth and releases energy at a slow pace. The meal shall be consumed a few hours before a workout.

2. Banana

Bananas are considered to be rich in nutrients like carbs and potassium. These nutrients are very important if an individual is aiming at muscle growth and thereby performing exercises efficiently. The sugars present in our body are usually sucked out while working out thereby makes one feel tired. Bananas slowdowns the process of absorbing sugar in the bloodstream. Muscle cramps can be prevented with the consumption of bananas. They are easily digestible carbs that one can snack on 5-10 minutes before a workout. Bananas also help in optimal nerve and muscle functions during a workout.

3. Carbs

Carbs are usually required for fuelling your muscles. It helps maximize the body’s ability to practice short and high-intensity exercises without making your muscles break down for fuel. Some carb items one can have before working out are – whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, fruits and vegetables, low fat or fat-free yogurt, etc. With the complex carbohydrates stored in his body, Ashwin will be able to burn calories and break muscle without a hint of fatigue.

4. Dry fruits

Having dry fruits is considered to be a good pre-workout meal as it consists of various benefits. Many people avoid having nuts as they consist of calories, but they provide the necessary energy to complete a sport. Nuts consist of fats like amino acids that boost one’s strength and gives them the ability to complete the exercise. Nuts also consist of inflammatory properties that help in joint pains. The benefits of helping recover muscle pain can also be derived from nuts.

5. Boiled white egg

Boiled white eggs consist of amino acids that help one recover from any muscle pain or any body damage that one may experience while high intense working out. Eggs consist of proteins too which break down slowly thereby, releasing energy. It is usually helpful for day one to lift heavyweights.

Post-workout meals

Just as pre-workout meals are important, post-workout meals are equally crucial. If your aim is weight loss, you work out but come back and eventually have anything at all that may be junk then the whole effort is ruined. Restricting yourself to limited options helps to keep your effort and trouble taken by you for working out to be saved. Having healthy alternatives help to reduce the muscle pain and damage caused due to working out.

Some of the post-workout foods one can have are:

• Dairy protein.
• Carbs.
• Herbal tea.
• Lots of water.

Post-workout meals are important because the blood sugar level in your body depletes as it is completed used up. Eating something right helps maintain the necessary balance. Ashwin will now know better not to skip the post-workout meals in the hurry of getting to his office.