Nutrition Tips: Be the Best Exerciser

This is second in a series of five blogs, courtesy of Alicia Fogarty, a registered dietician at Carolinas Healthcare Systems.  Click here to view part one .  Each week Alicia will discuss one tip that will help you fuel your exercise and improve your fitness routine.

Eat regularly and don’t forget to fuel up in morning.

One thing I see so often are busy people forgetting to (or choosing not to) eat regular meals.  That’s like forgetting to put gas in your car.  There are many excuses that I hear, such as “I don’t have time” or “if I don’t eat I will lose weight faster,”  but the reality of the matter is if you are under fueled you won’t exercise to your best potential.

You should eat soon after getting up and at the most every five hours or so.  Try not to exercise without having eaten within the previous three hours.  At about 3-4 hours before exercise it is suggested to have a meal or snack with higher carbohydrates, moderate protein, and low to moderate fat.  If it is about one hour before exercise, consume a snack with lower protein, fat and fiber to help limit any stomach distress while still providing carbohydrates. If you are an early riser and exercise right away, try to have something that contains some carbohydrates but is easy to digest, such as sports drink, coconut water, easy to digest fruit, etc.  Exercising without fuel is like trying to make a race car go without gas.

Check out next week’s blog to see how you should fuel as you work out!