Eating before or after sport: good practices to adopt

Eat before sport

Some people will say that it's a bad idea to eat before exercise, but that's not necessarily true. There are benefits to eating before training. What you ingest will have a direct impact on your performance. Eating before a sporting activity is not a problem if you follow a good diet and its benefits fit into your personal goal. 

Improve your performance

The most important thing is to eat the right amount before starting your sport and to eat it at the most convenient time. For this, count 2 hours before training to give your body time to digest. If you do not respect this time slot, your stomach will be in full digestion and therefore your body will be indisposed to give you the energy necessary for your physical exercise. 

If you don't want to eat a real meal, you can turn to a quick snack that will give you an energy boost fast. In this case, favor the food containing short chain carbohydrates. We think, for example, of bananas, rice cakes or cereal bars. For more details, you can read our article Healthy sports snack: explanations and recipes. 

Either way, eating before your session gives you energy. This will help you to maintain physical effort over a longer period of time And, ultimately, improve your performance and physical capacity in the long term. 

Gain muscle mass

If you have a regulated diet, eating before sport will help you increase your muscle mass with more ease. To see the effects, concentrate your meal on protein-rich foods. The latter make it possible to slow down the destruction of muscle fibers And promote muscle gain. 

Preparing for an intense session

The importance of eating before practicing sports is especially important if you plan to do a high intensity session. Indeed, iIt is essential to eat in this context because we know the risks. For example, if you do a cardio session where you exceed your limits, you can quickly find yourself in a situation hypoglycemia. This is why it is fundamental to consume food before any activity. So, you give your body energy and put it in the best possible conditions to have an excellent session. 

Eat after sport

For many people, it is best to do your session and eat afterward. And this is understandable since you recharge your batteries and you rgain strength. 

For good recovery

Muscles continue to be in action 30 minutes after training. Also, for 4 hours your body absorbs proteins and carbohydrates of the day. It is interesting to eat of the proteins during the first 30 minutes since your body will effectively restore the stock of nutrients that you have just dissipated. Your body has been affected by nutrient losses and needs to regenerate itself. 

Eating after sport is a good solution for improve recovery but you don't have to make a full meal. It should remain a snack. But if you prefer a meal, allow an hour of waiting after your session. This gap is imposed for avoid overconsumption of calories while allowing time for your body to recover and for it to gently slide back to a state of rest. 

Strengthen your muscles

Eating after sport helps restore energy to your body so that your muscles can be fueled and continue to work in favorable conditions, even after sport. Muscle recovery and strengthening are linked. It is a practice that is suitable for athletes who want to train intensely in order to maximize their recovery and strengthen their muscles. 

However, physical effort is not enough; you also need to eat the right nutrients for optimal results. 

What should you eat before sport? 

In a sporting context, it is essential to have a diet adapted to your needs. If you exercise a few times a week at a moderate intensity, you won't need to increase your calorie and carbohydrate intake. Otherwise, you practice physical activity every day or even several times a day, it is advisable to establish a tailor-made food plan by yourself or with a nutritionist. 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your friend! Indeed, when you put your body to the test, your muscles need energy. To reward them, nothing better than foods high in carbohydrates. It is more useful for your muscles to use glucose to make circulate the blood than any other energy source. Your body will always prioritize foods that are the least energy demanding. 

The longer your effort takes place, the more your body will need to convert your fat and protein stores into glucose to fuel your muscles. 

On your plate you can put: 

• Wholemeal pasta or rice
• Vegetables such as beans, spinach
• Potatoes
• Peas
• But
• Wheat semolina
• Oatmeal
• low-fat yogurt 

Don't forget to hydrate yourself. 

Fruits

Eat fruits before starting a sporting activity is ideal for fill your body with energy. We give you the best fruits to eat to prepare yourself well: 

• Apple, preferably in compote, for its rich in minerals and vitamins which allows invigorate your body before exercise. 

• The kiwi because rich in vitamin C. He has antioxidant properties effective for recovery. 

• The lawyer which is a very energizing fruit because it contains vitamins, of magnesium, of phosphorus, of the fibers and proteins. 

• The banana is rich in carbohydrates, in starch and in fibers. It helps to prevent cramps. 

• Oranges since they are rich in vitamin VS, in potassium and in folic acid. They give a boost of energy. 

What should you eat after sport? 

Eating after sport is crucial for give your body the energy and strength it needs. You will give the nutrients your muscles need to repair and grow. 

Carbohydrates

Whether before or after sport, the body always needs carbohydrates. Here are some examples: 

• Energy bars
• White bread
• Cereals 
• Yam
• Lenses
• Buckwheat
• Quinoa

Also think about yourself moisturize. In fact, during your effort you have lost a lot of water through your breathing and sweating. 

Proteins

THE proteins are important after sport since they allow rebuild your muscles and of repair damaged tissue. Here are some proteins to favor: 

• White meats : turkey, chicken, pork.

• Of the eggs filled with minerals, antioxidants, of vitamins for a good recovery. 

• Of fish : salmon, tuna, sardines rich in Omega 3 for a good energy and an recovery muscular.

• Red meats.

• The almonds contain fibers, of magnesium, of the Vitamin E and manganese. 
•  

Waiting time to eat

As said previously, theThe waiting time varies depending on the quantity you are going to absorb. For example, if you have just taken a in case, wait 1 hour before doing your sport to let digestion take place. 

Concerning full meals, you have to wait 3 hours for complete digestion. This is necessary so as not to distort your performance. 

Should you exercise on an empty stomach? 

The question that divides among athletes! Exercising on an empty stomach has both advantages and disadvantages.  

Benefits

It is more useful to practice sports on an empty stomach in the morning since you will burn more body fat. Since your carbohydrate reserves are empty, your body will look for reserves in fat to regain energy And fuel your metabolism. It is also a good solution for avoid any digestion problems. YOU optimize also your energy and rpush your limits. 

If you want to test yourself on an empty stomach, bring a small snack such as an energy bar or fruit to boost you in case of fatigue. Don't be looking for performance, go at a sustainable pace, neither too intense nor too long. 

Risks

The biggest risk of exercising on an empty stomach is hypoglycemia. It can occur if you are not used to making efforts over a long period of time that require lot of energy. If you lack energy, you may lose consciousness. In addition, sports on an empty stomach can cause premature exhaustion that will reduce your performance. 

During regular sports practice on an empty stomach, stress hormone remains chronically elevated, which increases the risk of abdominal fat storage. 

It is possible that your immune system is disrupted because regular fasting training causes low glycogen stores. 

The last risk is call for hunger more important for a whole day, which casts doubt on the effectiveness of weight loss under this condition. 

To conclude

You will have understood, eating before or after sport does not matter, it all depends on your needs and desires. 

Eat before sport is a good way to make you progress in the long term And you restore energy. Also to help you gain muscle mass. Because we can never be too careful, feeding yourself is important to avoid a hypoglycemic attack. Finally, food allows you to have very good sessions.  

Eat after sport guarantees you a good recovery. For that, eat during the 30 minutes following your sport. It is effective because your body absorbs proteins and carbohydrates accumulated during the day for 4 hours. Moreover, you give your body the nutrients it needs. Recovery and muscle strengthening are linked so you strengthen your muscles at the same time. 

To put on the plate

The hardest part is knowing what to put on the plate. If you eat before physical activity, promote carbohydrates, fuel your muscles. You can take wholemeal pasta; oatmeal; low-fat yogurts or even corn. Also do it full of energy with fvitamin-rich fruits like avocado, apple or oranges. 

For the team to eat after sport, carbohydrates like lentils or cereals. Good hydration And protein to repair your muscles and tissues. You can count on chicken, eggs or fish. 

Allow on average 3 hours of latency between meal and sport. 1 hour for those preferring a small snack. 

Sports on an empty stomach

For the more adventurous, sports on an empty stomach presents qualities such as burn fat, avoid digestion problems, optimize your sessions and your energy. However, there are also risks of hypoglycemia and of loss of consciousness. You may also tire more easily and therefore perform less well. Regular practice can cause chronic presence of stress hormones which leads to a risk of fat storage at the level of the abdominals. Then you can disrupt your immune system due to low glycogen reserves. Finally, sport on an empty stomach can increase your hunger and therefore be ineffective for weight loss. 

Dancing before sports DECIBEL®

Eating before or after sport will not be a problem for DECIBEL®. Treat yourself and come and exercise with or without a snack. 

Discover the immersive dance workout on playlists composed of Rihanna, Drake or even Daft Punk. 

Draw And to strenghten your body during 45 minute session accompanied by coaches thirsty to make you sweat. 

You'll have a reason to eat carbs and proteins when you get home!