For the longest time I have struggled with getting the right balance with my pre and post workout nutrition. To eat or not to eat before a workout, that was the question.

Initially I thought it was better to workout first thing in the morning on a empty stomach but found myself unable to really put in the intensity I wanted to and knew I was capable of.

Talk about frustrating.

Through the course of my studies I discovered that working out on an empty stomach can see your muscles suffering early onset fatigue, which will certainly decrease the quality and effectiveness of your workout.

Nobody wants that, right?

You want your workout to count.  I know I do!

Exercising on a empty stomach may be hindering our progress.

Not only will your workout be less effective, working out without giving your body proper fuel can lead to muscle breakdown. If you haven’t given your body the proper energy stores to draw from to fuel your workout, they will start to break down your muscle tissue as a last resort. Um, no thanks!

Not cool!

Aim to have a little snack (about 150 calories) 60-30 minutes before your workout. The objective is not to stuff yourself, its just to provide your body with enough energy to push through your workout so you can really give it your all and crush it!

If you find it a little tricky to remember, set a reminder in your phone. If you’re like me, a creature of habit who plans to workout at the same time of day, go grab your phone and set the reminder now . . . go on, off you pop . . . I’ll wait 🙂

So with your reminder set, here are a few of my fav pre-workout snack ideas:

68 calories – 1 x hard boiled egg

80 calories – 1 x medium size apple

82 calories – 1 x kiwi fruit with 1/4 cup of non fat strawberry yoghurt

99 calories – 1 x cup of fresh strawberries along with 1/2 a cup of fresh blueberries and a dollop of low fat/low cal/fat free yoghurt

104 calories – 1 x slice low gi fruit bread (fresh or toasted) with a scrap of low fat cream cheese or cottage cheese

120 calories – 1/2 Banana and 10 Raw Almonds

148 calories – 10 almonds and 1 medium orange

150 calories – 1 small tin of tuna (in water) and 4 x high fibre wholegrain crackers

150 calories – 50g sliced turkey/chicken breast and 4 x high fibre wholegrain crackers

150 calories – protein shake

160 calories – 1 medium apple dipped in 1 Tbsp peanut butter

165 – 4 x high fibre wholegrain crackers spread with 2-3 slices of avocado and 1 sliced tomato

165 – 4 x high fibre wholegrain crackers spread with 2 slices of low fat cheese and 1 sliced tomato