Eating Before and After Exercise

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We know that most of you are tuned into your body well enough to know what you should eat before and after your workout, but it's always good to get a refresher. For example, if you've ever gotten a cramp during a workout (and, really, who hasn't?) you may be able to place the blame on what you've been snacking on rather than your fitness level.

You might think that chomping on an apple or peeling an orange might be a great way to nourish your body before a workout, but according to the Mayo Clinic, high-fiber foods, such as beans, bran cereal and even fruit, eaten pre-exercise, can give you gas or cause cramping.

Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a certified specialist in sports dietetics, told The New York Times that people should consume somewhere in the area of 150 to 200 calories -- akin to a granola bar -- before exercising. But if you need more than that to get you going, try noshing on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread. The mixture of complex carbohydrates from the bread and protein from the peanut butter can help you power through an intense workout, sans cramps.

In addition, while the key to eating before a workout is consuming what makes you feel best, here are some more things to keep in mind from the Mayo Clinic:

• Eat large meals at least three to four hours before exercising; small meals about two hours prior to exercise.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. If you're only working out for 60 minutes or less, drink two to three cups of water before you exercise and one cup per every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout. If the weather is warmer and you're sweating more than usual, you may want to consider consuming more.
• Post-workout muscles need to recover, so make sure to consume a meal that contains protein and complex carbs within two hours of your exercise session.

And the absolute worst thing you can do before a workout? Nothing at all. Starving your body of the extra calories it may need to help push you through that last set or final sprint will leave you feeling weak and lightheaded, which is not ideal if you've got the speed cranked up on the treadmill or are in the middle of a chest press.