What an athlete eats and drinks before, during and after exercise affects comfort and performance during exercise. Knowing when to eat, what to eat and planning your meals ahead of events is essential to a successful race. Your best approach is always one that you have tested.
When To Eat
While eating shortly before exercise doesn't provide the bulk of the fuel needed for the activity, it can prevent the hunger during exercise. Carbohydrates are the major source of fuel for active muscles and are stored in the muscles as glycogen in the days before exercise. For this reason, a post-exercise meal is important for recovery and being prepared for the next exercise session.
Exercising on a full stomach is not ideal. Having food in your stomach while you exercise may cause stomach upset, nausea or cramping and ultimately impact your performance negatively. Allow enough time after eating for a meal to fully digest before the start of an event. This may take 1 to 4 hours, depending what and how much you've eaten. You should experiment during training sessions to determine what works best for you.
If you have an early morning race or workout, it's best to get up early enough to eat a meal so that it has time to digest. If this is not an option, eat or drink something easily digestible about 20 to 30 minutes before the event. The closer you are to the time of your event, the less you should eat. Having a liquid meal closer to your event is preferable to a solid meal as liquids are faster and easier to digest.
What To Eat
Glucose is the preferred source of energy for exercise so a pre-exercise meal should include foods that are high in carbohydrates and easy to digest. Examples of such foods are pasta, breads, fruit, energy bars and sports drinks.
Planning Your Meals
Planning is essential if you are competing in an all-day event. Consider the time of your event, the amount you will eat, the energy required and the availability of food during the event. Also, be conscious of the amount of fluid you consume. You should plan ahead and prepare meals and snacks that you have tried before and know will sit well with you. Do not experiment with something new on the day of the event.
Suggested Pre-Exercise Foods
When and what an athlete eats before exercise is highly individual and something only the athlete can determine based upon experience, but some general guidelines include eating a solid meal 4 hours before exercise, a snack or a high carbohydrate energy drink 2 to 3 hours before exercise and a fluid replacement 1 hour before exercise.
< 1 hour before
- fresh fruit (e.g. apples, watermelon, peaches, grapes, or oranges)
- energy gels
- up to 1 1/2 cups of a sports drink
2 to 3 hours before
- fresh fruit
- ·bread or pasta
- · yogurt
- · water
3 to 4 hours before
- fresh fruit
- bread
- pasta with tomato sauce (avoid heavy sauces)
- baked potatoes
- energy bar
- cereal with milk
- yogurt
- toast/bread with peanut butter, lean meat or cheese
- water
Sugar and Performance
Evidence suggests that eating sugar (glucose) about 40 minutes before an event may provide energy when your other energy stores are low. Bear in mind that eating glucose will trigger a spike in blood sugar levels and this impacts the performance of some athletes negatively. You should always experiment with any different eating or energy strategies before competing.
Caffeine and Performance
Caffeine acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system and is thought to enhance performance by reducing the sensation of fatigue in athletes as well as mobilising fat as a source of energy, and thereby reserving glycogen in the muscles.
Caffeine can have side effects for some people, especially if you are not a habitual user. Those who are very sensitive to its effects may experience nausea, tremors, restlessness and headaches.
Foods to Avoid Before Exercise
Fatty foods are difficult to digest and remain in the stomach a long time which can cause cramping and discomfort. Such foods are require more blood to be pumped to the stomach to aid in digestion which means less blood is available for use by your muscles. Meats, fried food, pastries, doughnuts, fries, potato chips and chocolate should be avoided in a pre-exercise meal.
Bear in mind that everyone is different when it comes to eating and exercise. What works for you may not work for another athlete. Individual preferences are important, especially for an all-day event where it is essential to eat and most foods become difficult to stomach.
