What and when to eat before cardio exercise

ipiddock

Hi,

I've been doing a fair bit of reading lately to better understand the digestive system and the transfer of nutrients to the blood stream. Virtually all articles describe the digestive system in the same way and correctly name the right organs and enzymes that break down food and process nutrients, however, many articles differ on the timing of nutrient transfer to the blood.

The reason I'm learning about this is because I really want to know what and how much I should eat before exercise that can be used to support that exercise, and how long before that exercise should I consume the food. I can't really find the answers to this, and I think it is important. For instance, if I know I'm going to burn 800 calories through 1 hour of swimming, should I consume that amount of calories before the swim (for fuel) or half that amount so I'm using a mix of 'freshly produced fuel' and 'stored' fuel, i.e. fat. I'd be interested to know what others think about this.

Ian

dr3wman

The best thing to do is to try acouple different things and see what works for you. The "optimal" time to eat before exercise is going to be different for everyone, you need to find what makes you perform the best. For long cardio most people suggest having some slow digesting carbs such as oatmeal or brown rice. I wouldn't eat 800 calories because you will probably feel alittle bloated and full. What works for me is about 300 calories of oatmeal/ whey protein about 2 hours before, but this will be different for you.

takumaku

I agree with the statement to try out a few things and see what works for you. What works for me may not work for you.

For my cardio, I will follow two different plans depending on how much time I have before my runs. If I have only 30 minutes before my run, I'll eat 1 banana and 1 oz of nuts. Then I'll follow up afterwards with the remainder of my breakfast (oatmeal pancake w/ lekvar and a glass of almond milk). If I have more time before the run, I may eat the whole breakfast.

Find what works for you.

ipiddock

So a mix of dried fruits and nuts could be a good option then around an hour before a cardio workout?

erin023

It's all personal preference.
Myself, I prefer empty stomach cardio, but I like to make sure I eat something about 15-30 minutes afterwards

kehuizenga

I don't know about the science or anything like that, but personally I find that if I work out when I am hungry, the quality of my workout goes down. I like to eat a handful of almonds about an hour beforehand and that seems to do the trick.