My ultimate favorite question: " What do I do pre & post-workout"? If you are skipping over the nutrition aspect of your workouts, you are missing half the results you could be getting.
For starters, you want to make sure you don’t work out on an empty stomach. I’m an early morning workout person, so I eat a little something light 30 minutes before my workout. Check out all my tips for becoming a morning workout person here!
A good pre-workout meal should include complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats. My go-to's are:
However, if you are an afternoon or evening workout person, still focus on complex carbs, lean protein, and healthy fat. You want to make sure if your meal is a little bigger, you have it 1-2 hours before your workout allowing time for digestion.
It's also important to stay hydrated before and during your workout. Make sure to drink at least 8oz of water before an early morning sweat.
If you are one of those people trying to find the motivation to get up in the morning to sweat or find yourself hitting an afternoon lull leaving you with the perfect excuse to skip your workout. Try adding in a little pre-workout power. For HIIT and lifting workouts, I use MegaWatt.
MegaWatt contains a specific blend of ingredients to give you incredible energy and mental focus to get started or push through that last set or 10 minutes of your workout.
The only time I recommend a supplement over whole foods is after you workout because timing is crucial. While we workout, we put itty bitty tears in our muscles, and then our muscles repair themselves (using protein), finally resulting in your muscles strengthening (growing & giving that lean look).
I have tried so many proteins over the years, this one from 1st Phorm is my absolute favorite!
Regardless of which protein you choose, you want a “rapid assimilation” protein meaning it is made up of smaller amino acids making it faster and easier to digest, because again timing is crucial…(vs like a meal replacement protein).
You want to pair your protein shake with a simple sugar to replenish lost energy while working out. This helps the protein to do its job and not waste time restoring energy. I recommend eating a piece of fruit with your protein shake or 1st Phorm has a powdered form called Ignition that you can mix in the same shaker as your post-workout. It’s personal preference on what you prefer or what your routine looks like.
Everyone’s next question is which one is my favorite flavor....
One of the best-selling and most-researched supplements on the market is creatine. Contrary to popular belief, you will not get “bulky” taking creatine. This creatine does not make me bloat, gassy, or upset my stomach like so many other cheaper options on the market do.
Creatine is used to fight off muscle fatigue and increase endurance and cardiovascular capacity. Creatine's role during your workout is to slow down the breakdown of energy within your muscles. Which reduces lactic acid buildup (which is what makes you sore) and in turn leads to increased endurance and strength. This is the perfect to add to your routine if you are looking to build strength, increase endurance, and improve overall performance.
Let me know in the comments what questions you have about workout nutrition!
