The Best Pre and Post Workout Snacks

I love doing exercise, especially workouts such as LBT (Legs Bum and Tights) and Zumba. These are 45 minutes to 1 hour classes, so after more than 1 year of going to the gym 3 times a week, I’ve learnt what my body needs to get the most out it and I’d like to share it with you!

According to specialists, before we practice exercise, it’s incredibly beneficial to consume snacks to boost our energy, in other words, we need carbs. We should eat simple carbs, like the ones in the list below, because they are easy to convert into energy.

Nutritionists also recommend eating protein based snacks after a workout in order to repair our muscles and tissues. Adding some vitamins is a plus, because our body loses lots of minerals during an exercise session.

The right quantity of any of these snacks needs to be from between 150 to 200 calories.

When to take them?

The best time is 30 minutes before and after the workout.

At this point you may be thinking that it’s going to be tricky to find snacks that meet those requirements, however, it’s easier than it seems and here is a list of pre and post workout snacks with some delicious examples:

Pre Workout Snacks

  • Apple and peanut butter – cut the apple into chucks and add peanut butter to them. Apples have fibre and they supply energy slowly while peanut butter is a great source of low fat carbs!
  • Small bowl of oatmeal and a sliced banana – again, the fruit is the source of vitamins, natural sugars and fibre while the oatmeal is rich in simple carbs.
  • 1 slice of whole-grain bread with 1 ½ tbsp. of raspberry jam.
  • 1 pear and a handful of pistachios – you can replace the pistachios with any type of nut and they will play the same role of energy booster.

toast

Post Workout Snacks

  • Protein smoothie – 1 tbsp. of protein powder, fruit of your choice and almond milk is a delicious source of vitamins, proteins and fibre.
  • 1 cup of non-fat yogurt with ½ cup of raspberries – a yummy snack that will repair your body and restore your energy.
  • Veggie omelette – 1 egg and 2 egg whites with spinach, pepper, cucumber… in case you prefer something savoury, this is the perfect option!
  • Cottage cheese and avocado toast – 1 avocado and 1 whole grain toast with a tbsp. of cottage cheese. Avocado and cheese are great sources of protein and the bread will add fibre plus carbs to restore your energy!

omelette

As you can see, these snacks make the prefect reward for doing exercise! Remember, you can also easily break the “rules” by adapting or modifying some of the ingredients to suit your preferences.

I really hope you have enjoyed this post and found it useful to include in your healthy habits. If you would like to have a look at my blog and say hi, please visit www.wha2wear.com or follow me on Twitter: @wha2wear_ , Facebook: www.facebook.com/wha2wear and Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/wha2wear/

Nataliaprofile

Lots of love

Natalia

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