The 5 foods you should take before exercise #lifebycoyomi

I used to go to the gym 5 times a week before the first lockdown hit us in March 2020. It’s been a year since my gym routine changed significantly and I have to admit that I do exercise less now. But, I take this as a good opportunity to change the way I workout. I am giving my body more time to rest and paying more attention to what I eat. It is important to refuel your body before workouts in order to maximise your performance.

I know some people prefer doing workouts on an empty stomach, especially if you do workout in the morning, you don’t have time to have breakfast nor don’t feel hungry right after getting out of your bed. It’s absolutely fine if you are not feeling eating something in your stomach before the workouts - just make sure to drink water or coffee at least so that your body can get ready to sweat!

I want to share 5 foods you should take before exercise for those who need some energy before workouts. It is great to have pre-workout snacks if you are aiming to build muscle and to get toned. Don’t forget to eat 45 minutes before the workouts so you will have a plenty of time to digest the foods - or you will struggle to move your body due to a heavy stomach during your session!

1 Egg

Egg is often considered as a workout food as well as chicken thanks to high protein with essential nutritions. You can cook eggs boiled, fried and scrambled - it’s all instant and easy so I am sure everyone has no problem cooking with eggs! Protein is an important source to build muscles and it can promote fat burning during your workout like HIIT training. Also, An egg contains high amino acid which can prevent workout fatigue. A large egg contains around 7g in protein so 2-3 eggs a day should be sufficient as a pre-workout snack. 

2 Kiwi

Are you enough with daily protein foods? Kiwi is a perfect workout snack if you usually workout in the evening as they can also help you to sleep well. Kiwi is considered as the best workout fruit with high vitamin C and antioxidants - that’s all your skins are asking for, right? Plus, it is said that kiwi will make your bones grow stronger due to kiwi’s high vitamin K. It is possible to make a smoothie with kiwi as a pre-shake - a perfect replacement for a protein shake!

3 Greek Yogurt

You can get all necessary nutrition in one - greek yogurt is a super food you shouldn't miss when you are committed to the workouts. It has high proteins, calcium and vitamins but relatively low sugar compared to plain yogurt. Today, there are different kinds of greek yogurt available at supermarkets - for examples, fat free, coconut milk, oat milk, almond milk and more! There are plant based options so they are a perfect protein source for vegan people.   

4 Nuts

Don’t choose salted nuts as they are high calories and not suitable as workout snacks. Most nuts are high fiber, which people tend to forget to intake when they focus on eating traditional protein foods like chickens and eggs. It is important to have a healthy stomach in order to increase metabolism - but make sure you don’t intake too much nuts, plain nuts are still high calories with high fat so you need to limit how many nuts to eat daily. Almond is one of the nuts we recommend as a pre-workout snack as it has a good amount of protein and vitamin E. 

5 Avocado

You may already have heard enough of avocados - but they are just too good as workout snacks! It has tons of benefits you can get from this tasty veggie. Avocados contain a great source of vitamins including vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin E with high fiber. You can spread, dip, mix - avocados are such flexible food you can cook in different ways! Although they are the best veggie, they are still high in fat and calories so please limit your intake level - generally a half avocado a day is recommended.