To gain a better understanding of proper nutrition for athletes , we will focus first on the macronutrient needs of athletes: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Extra glucose is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, your energy reserve.

During short bursts of exercise such as sprinting, basketball, gymnastics, or soccer, your body relies on glycogen to keep your blood sugar levels stable and maintain your energy. During longer exercise, your body uses your glycogen stores first, then turns to stored fats to fuel performance.

Complex carbohydrates found in pasta, bagels, whole-grain bread, and rice are low in fat and provide energy, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Simple sugars such as juice, jams, and candy provide lots of calories but they do not provide vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

What matters most is the total amount of carbs you eat each day. Fats are an important energy source used to fuel longer exercise and endurance activities such as hiking, cycling, and long-distance running or swimming.

Eating a diet that is too low in fat may reduce athletic performance. Alternatively, a diet too high in fat before exercising can make you feel sluggish and tired because fats take longer to digest.

Focus on heart-healthy fats at least hours pre-workout or hours post-workout such as avocados, salmon, nuts and nut butter, and olive and canola oils. Protein is needed for your body to build and repair muscles. Protein can be found in lean meats like chicken and turkey, beans, tofu, eggs, and low-fat dairy products such as Greek yogurt.

Although some extra protein is needed to build muscle, most Americans already eat almost twice as much protein as they need for muscle development. Too much protein in your diet will be stored as increased body fat and can increase the chance for dehydration. It can lead to loss of calcium and can put an added burden on the kidneys.

Eating calories is actually more important for building muscle than having extra protein. Never start a workout with an empty tank! Remember, as an athlete, you should be eating every hours.

A pre-workout meal should take place hours ahead of time and be high in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in heart-healthy fats. Adding fresh fruit and low-fat dairy to your pre-workout meal will make it nutritionally complete see the image below. You should have a pre-workout snack hours before exercise if you will be working out for more than 1 hour.

It should consist of mostly carbohydrates with some protein and fat. During training, it is especially important to consume grams of carbohydrate if the activity is intense and lasts longer than minutes.

Another benefit of this type of snack or even a somewhat larger calorie snack prior to exercising? It may enhance feelings of relaxation afterward. Think a light breakfast, such as half an English muffin with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a few banana slices, an apple with a tablespoon of almond butter, or a half-cup of plain yogurt with a small handful of granola.

Sometimes liquid calories are easier to tolerate, and over time you can train your stomach to tolerate more food before exercise. Waking up with enough time to eat a small breakfast before intense workouts may be ideal, McDaniel adds.

The extra calories in your system help prevent fatigue, so you have enough energy to complete your workout at a time of day when you might otherwise feel pretty exhausted.

A study found even drinking coffee before a workout can help improve athletic performance. How long should you wait to exercise after eating? Specific examples include: a whole-wheat tortilla with a smear of peanut butter and a banana, half a turkey sandwich, or oatmeal with fruit and nuts.

Do you really need to fuel up mid-workout with a sports drink or one of those gels or gummies? The answer for the vast majority of people is no.

People who participate in longer endurance exercise , such as running or cycling for 60 to 90 minutes or more, however, do benefit greatly from mid-workout fuel, which can delay the onset of fatigue and improve performance, according to decades of exercise science research.

After the first 60 minutes, you should aim to eat 30 to 60 grams g of carbohydrates every hour, according to recommendations from the International Society of Sports Nutrition. But there are some people who should be paying closer attention to what they eat after exercise. In these cases — or for anyone feeling very hungry or fatigued after a workout — eating protein and carbohydrates within an hour or so after exercise is ideal.

This time period immediately after your workout is when your body is most efficient at using the protein you eat to build new muscle, as well as prevent the breakdown of your existing muscles, in a process called muscle protein synthesis. Post-workout, your body also needs carbohydrates to restore depleted levels of glycogen a form of carbohydrate stored in the muscles , which helps fuel future exercise.

Go a little higher on the carbs after intense cardio or endurance workouts, and go a little higher on the protein after a strength-training session, Patton adds. Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy.

We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

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Roxana Ehsani, RD, LDN. Before During After. What would a healthy post-workout snack look like? Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking. Resources Meal Timing: What and When to Eat for Performance and Recovery. American Council on Exercise. April 19,

Read also: Muscle Clocks - The Value of Synchronized Training. Fast fix: You can positively affect event outcomes by eating the right foods in the right amounts at the right times. A good way to start recovery is to consume a snack with carbohydrates and a moderate amount of protein, plus fluids and sodium, within 30 minutes after exercise.

If you have no appetite post-exercise, a recovery beverage may be a good option. To recover quickly and completely, your body needs healthy fuel like the choices shown here-beginning within 30 minutes of your session's end.

Alencar, M. Increased meal frequency attenuates fat-free mass losses and some markers of health status with a portion-controlled weight loss diet.

Nutrition Research, 35 5 , American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM position stand. Exertional heat illness during training and competition. Areta, J. Reducing resting skeletal muscle protein synthesis is rescued by resistance exercise and protein ingestion following short-term energy deficit.

American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, 8 , E Burd, N. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 45 , Campbell, C. Carbohydrate-supplement form and exercise performance. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 18 2 , Dunford, M.

Nutrition for Sport and Exercise 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing. Rosenbloom, C. Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals 5th ed. Chicago: American Dietetic Association.

Schisler, J. Running to maintain cardiovascular fitness is not limited by short-term fasting or enhanced by carbohydrate supplementation. Smith, A. Wardlaw's Contemporary Nutrition 10th ed. New York: Morgan-Hill. Spendlove, J.

Dietary intake of competitive bodybuilders. Sports Medicine, 45 7 , Lee Murphy, MPH, RD, LDN, has been an instructor in the department of nutrition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, since Before that, she worked as a community nutritionist, speaker and health educator.

org Fitness CPT Nutrition CES Sports Performance Workout Plans Wellness. Nutrition American Fitness Magazine Nutrient Timing: Pre and Post-Workout Questions Answered! Does Fast-and-Burn Work for Weight Loss?

Training and Nutrient Timing Before Events A diet plan is crucial for maximizing daily workouts and recovery, especially in the lead-up to the big day. WHY Eat Before a workout? WHAT to Eat Before a workout The majority of nutrients in a pre workout meal should come from carbohydrates, as these macronutrients immediately fuel the body.

Read more: What to Eat Before a Workout WHEN to Eat Before a workout? effective Eating Before a workout Preworkout foods should not only be easily digestible, but also easily and conveniently consumed. should you eating During a workout?

workout recovery basics and nutrition To improve fitness and endurance, we must anticipate the next episode of activity as soon as one exercise session ends.

When to Start Replenishing Carbs AFTER exercise Training generally depletes muscle glycogen. What About PROTEIN? REHYDRATE Effectively With Fluids and Sodium Virtually all weight lost during exercise is fluid, so weighing yourself without clothes before and after exercise can help gauge net fluid losses.

Listen to Your Body's Timing Signals While these recommendations are a good starting point, there are no absolute sports nutrition rules that satisfy everyone's needs…so paying attention to how you feel during exercise and how diet affects performance is of utmost importance.

Consume only small amounts of protein; limit fats and fiber see these foods that are high in fiber that you should avoid! Hydration: At least 4 hours before an activity, aim for milliliters of water per kilogram of body weight.

Timing: Ideal for most people is to eat hours before an activity, up to about 1, nutritious calories. Consume calories if lead time is much shorter e.

Drinks or smoothies are preferred if you're starting in less than 60 minutes. Here are a few benefits that can come from a post-workout meal or snack:. Research suggests that the depletion of muscle glycogen during an initial bout of prolonged exercise is one of the key reasons people experience muscle fatigue—and so, replenishing this glycogen with proper post-workout carb intake can help restore muscle function and endurance capacity for your next sweat session.

Then, during the post-exercise recovery period, your body repairs this damage with a process called muscle protein synthesis MPS. During MPS, amino acids are incorporated into skeletal muscle proteins, which builds and strengthens your muscles.

Getting adequate rest and eating enough protein are both key for this process. Your body can experience varying degrees of inflammation after a workout.

Keep in mind, not all inflammation is bad. In fact, the short-term inflammation triggered by a bout of exercise is important for kickstarting muscular repair processes and promoting long-term beneficial adaptations to training—and over time, regular physical activity has an anti-inflammatory effect.

However, some research says that certain types of physical activity may be more likely to ramp up inflammation than others—particularly intense, long-lasting exercise without enough rest.

Curbing unhealthy exercise-induced inflammation mostly comes down to knowing your limits and allowing time for appropriate rest, but your diet can help, too. The length, intensity, and type of workout will dictate whether you should quickly refuel and how much. This is particularly true for people wanting to add muscle mass and for busy, active individuals who tend to have a harder time meeting their overall calorie needs for the day, she adds.

So what, exactly, should you eat after a workout? Aim to eat a balanced meal or snack containing a combo of complex carbs, protein, and healthy fats.

Many studies have tested various carb-to-protein ratios after workouts, but instead of stressing over proportions, simply aim for a mix of these macros, then tune into how your body feels and performs during future workouts. Below, learn a bit more about the importance of carbs, proteins, and fats for post-workout recovery—and keep reading for specific meal and snack ideas.

Generally, your best bet is going to be minimally processed, complex carbohydrates , which are digested slower; less likely to spike blood sugar; and contain more vitamins, minerals, and fiber than refined carbohydrates and added sugars.

Good post-workout carbohydrate sources include:. Various types of fruit such as bananas, mango, or apples. Whole wheat or whole grain varieties of bread, sandwich wraps, English muffins, pastas, and pretzels. Protein-rich foods supply the body with amino acids, which enhance muscle repair and growth, particularly when you eat them after exercising.

While the amount of protein you need depends on your individual needs, the National Library of Medicine recommends that healthy adults intake protein for percent of their total daily calories. That means a person on a 2, calorie diet would eat about grams of protein per day. Good post-workout protein sources include:.

High-quality protein powder look for ones with few ingredients and no added sugars, fillers, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Nuts and nut butter. Fat may not be as important in the post-workout period as carbs and protein, but this macronutrient can help you feel full, support stable energy levels , enhance absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and maintain cell membrane integrity—all of which are important for recovery, McDaniel notes.

Omega-3 fats can also help curb inflammation, especially when consumed regularly. Some preliminary research even suggests that omega-3 intake may help improve post-workout recovery.

Just keep in mind that you may not need to add a separate source of fat to your post-workout meal or snack, since some protein-rich foods contain fat already.

Good post-workout fat sources include:. Nuts and nut butters. Extra virgin olive oil. For an added bonus after particularly strenuous workouts, you can also consider incorporating specific anti-inflammatory foods, such as tart cherries , wild blueberries , and turmeric , suggests registered dietitian Jessica Cording, MS, RD, CDN.

For example, muscle cells have increased sensitivity to insulin for a period of time after you work out.

This allows your muscles to more rapidly absorb glucose when you consume carbohydrates, supporting more rapid glycogen resynthesis. Muscles can also take up amino acids more efficiently during this post-exercise window, and consuming protein shortly after a workout has been shown to enhance muscle protein synthesis aka strengthen and build your muscles.

Having a balanced meal or snack within a few hours, or whenever you get hungry, is perfectly fine. Ready to fuel up, but not sure what to eat after a workout?

The following snacks contain a combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats to support workout recovery and overall health. Banana with nut butter. While workout nutrition will completely depend on the type of workout you are doing and the body composition goals you have in place, the basic principles remain the same.

Ideally, you should fuel your body hours before your workout. A more substantial meal should be consumed hours pre-workout, while a smaller snack can be consumed closer to the session.

Food should contain both protein and carbs. Carbs are the fuel, while protein is what rebuilds and repairs. If your goal is weight loss, your pre-workout fuel will contain less carbs and more protein and be smaller in portion.

If your goal is to gain mass, a bigger portion of carbs as well as protein should be consumed. Examples of pre-workout snacks:. This, as well as working out what time frame works best for your body will take some experimenting.

Simply put, our bodies run like a car—we need to re-fuel when our food stores have been depleted. Post-workout nutrition should therefore focus on refilling energy storages and provide enough protein to prevent muscle protein breakdown and stimulate muscle synthesis.