{"id":1829,"date":"2013-07-23T17:34:51","date_gmt":"2013-07-23T17:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/?p=1829"},"modified":"2019-03-07T17:44:22","modified_gmt":"2019-03-07T17:44:22","slug":"examples-of-pre-post-workout-meal-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/?p=1829","title":{"rendered":"Examples of Pre & Post Workout Meal Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you have read my article about pre & post workout nutrition, but are still a little confused about the best foods to eat before or after your workout, see below.\u00a0 I have provided a few examples of snacks and meals you can try out.\u00a0 Remember there are many other choices so you do not have to stick to these examples only, but this should be enough to get you started \ud83d\ude42\"photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Email me at Michelle@CORE-Condition if you have a favorite pre or post\u00a0workout meal or snack idea that I don’t have on the list already!<\/p>\n

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Top Picks:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Quinoa\/ Sweet Potato\/Brown Rice<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you workout later in the day, eating some quinoa at lunch can provide you with carbs and protein for energy and muscle repair. It\u2019s a fantastic energy food. Eat this superfood a few hours before you workout.<\/p>\n

Avocado<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you will be participating in a sustained workout, eating an avocado a few hours beforehand can provide valuable healthy fat for that energetic boost when carbohydrate depletion occurs.<\/p>\n

Nuts and seeds<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Eating nuts and seeds at dinner can give you energy for evening workouts because they cover all of your macronutrient bases, containing carbs, protein, and fat. Eating a few nuts and seeds during sustained exercise can also provide a boost of energy to keep you going during endurance activities.<\/p>\n

Banana<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Banana is one of the most perfect pre and post workout foods as they are full of complex carbs, minerals such as potassium and fibre. Our close genetic relatives, chimps, eat bananas in bunches and thrive.<\/p>\n

Oatmeal<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Eating about \u00bd cup of this hearty grain an hour or two before exercise will provide you with carbohydrate energy necessary for quick, intense workout sessions.<\/p>\n

PRE-WORKOUT MEAL IDEAS:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The body works to build muscle and recover 24 hours a day,<\/a> not just during that one-hour session at the gym. Luckily, smartly timed snacks can give the body the fuel it needs to gain muscle, burn fat, and recover as best it can. Pre-workout, that usually means grabbing a snack about 30-60 minutes in advance, depending on its size and contents, and how much that stomach\u2019s actually grumbling. The focus for pre-workout should be around getting a balance of carbs, good fats, and protein. Check out these options to start things right.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Dressed up oats<\/strong>: Load up on carbohydrates for a longer workout with \u00bd cup cooked steel-cut oats topped with 1 tablespoon dried fruit and 1 tablespoon shaved almonds.<\/p>\n

Perfect yogurt parfait<\/strong>: Feeling fancy, huh? Top \u00bc cup nonfat yogurt with \u00bd cup whole grain cereal\/oats and \u00bd cup fresh strawberries<\/p>\n

Greek Yogurt & Berries<\/strong>: For the perfect blend of carbs and protein, try 1 cup non-fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt \u2014 which often packs more protein and probiotics than regular plain yogurt \u2014 with \u00bd cup fresh blueberries.<\/p>\n

Eggs n\u2019 toast<\/strong>: Have a heartier appetite? Try 1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs with 1 slice of whole-wheat toast.<\/p>\n

Fruit and Cottage Cheese<\/strong>: Top \u00bd cup cottage cheese \u2014 a low calorie and higher protein option \u2014 with \u00bd cup fresh pineapple, berries, or melon. And voila!<\/p>\n

PB Apple<\/strong>: For a quick carb fuel-up, slice 1 medium apple and serve with 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter or almond butter.<\/p>\n

Oats n\u2019 eggs<\/strong>: Not just for breakfast, try \u00bd cup cooked oatmeal and 2 whole eggs seasoned with salt and pepper.<\/p>\n

PB & B toast<\/strong>: Fuel up with 1-2 tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter and half a sliced banana on whole-wheat toast,<\/p>\n

Protein, Avo & Pasta<\/strong>: Add 2-4 ounces (or a palm-sized amount) of roasted turkey\/grilled chicken breast\/tuna\/salmon and 3-4 avocado slices to \u00bd cup cooked whole-wheat pasta<\/p>\n

Veggie omelet<\/strong>: Add a little more color to your diet by combining 2 whole eggs shaken with 1 teaspoon of water cooked with 1 cup saut\u00e9ed seasonal veggies-optional 1 piece of whole grain toast on side (for longer workouts).<\/p>\n

Salad<\/strong>: Need some greens? Try 1 cup of salad greens with assorted veggies, 1-2 hard boiled eggs, \u00bd avocado or 1 tbsp of chia seeds, and a drizzle of your favorite low-fat dressing.<\/p>\n

Protein bar: <\/strong>For a quick, store-bought fix, feed those muscles with a protein bar. Just watch the sugar content. Look for bars with 10-30 grams of protein, less than 10 grams of sugar, and the fewest number of ingredients you can\u2019t pronounce!\u00a0 I prefer to get nutrients from real food, but having protein bars on hand are a good last alternative and also help avoiding unnecessary fast food stops.<\/p>\n

POST-WORKOUT MEAL IDEAS:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

After a tough gym session, post-workout snacks are a very important way to restore energy and rebuild muscle. Downed within 30 to 60 minutes after exercise, protein-packed shakes and snacks are a great way to rebuild tissue\u00a0that\u00a0breaks down during exercise and keep that metabolism revved up to burn more fat! The focus for post-workout meals should be protein and carbs.<\/p>\n

Protein pancakes<\/strong>: mix 4 egg whites, \u00bd cup rolled oats, \u00bd cup low fat cottage cheese, 1\/8 teaspoon baking powder, and \u00bd teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Cook on preheated griddle (medium low heat) until it bubbles, then flip and cook another 30-60 seconds. Top with fresh berries or sliced banana. (I have many more recipes for protein pancakes, ask me if you want more)<\/p>\n

Chocolate PB Protein shake<\/strong>: Monkey around with \u00bd or 1 medium banana, 1 tablespoon peanut flour or PB2 (peanut butter flavour without the extra fat), and 1 scoop of whey protein powder, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, blended with ice.\u00a0 <\/span>If you use a frozen banana no ice is needed.\u00a0 <\/span>Optional also to add a handful of spinach to get your greens in (no you can\u2019t taste it!) or 1 tbsp of cinnamon to help with inflammation.<\/p>\n

Bananas & Milk<\/strong>: One medium sliced banana with 1 cup low fat milk \u2014 it doesn\u2019t get any easier than this!<\/p>\n

Protein bar: <\/strong>For a quick, store-bought fix, feed those muscles with a protein bar. Just watch the sugar content. Look for bars with 10-30 grams of protein, less than 10 grams of sugar, and the fewest number of ingredients you can\u2019t pronounce!\u00a0 <\/span>I really like Quest Bars and they are one of the only processed bars I will eat because they contain no artificial ingredients\u2014ask me about them J<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Meat and squash<\/strong>: Need something hearty? Try a handful of lean roast beef, chicken or other lean protein with an equal portion of butternut squash.<\/p>\n

Tuna crackers<\/strong>: Mix up a batch of light tuna salad for a quick bite. Add two heaping spoonfuls to a handful of whole grain crackers, and chomp away.\u00a0 <\/span>My tuna salad options are mixing tuna with a little bit of non-fat greek yogurt, 1 slice of laughing cow cheese and a little bit of yellow mustard, or \u00bd an avocado & a little bit of yellow mustard (my fave!).<\/p>\n

PB & Rice:<\/strong> The ants go marching\u2026 Spread a heap of natural peanut butter over a brown rice cake and top with raisins or \u00bd a sliced banana.<\/p>\n

Chocolate milk<\/strong>: One to two cups of low-fat chocolate milk seals the deal with extra carbs and protein.<\/p>\n

Black bean omelet<\/strong>: Four eggs whites, 1 ounce low-fat cheese, and \u00bc cup canned black beans \u2014 then spice it up with a savory salsa, if you dare.<\/p>\n

Green Monster smoothie<\/strong>: Blend 4 cups spinach, \u00bd cup vanilla bean yogurt or plain non-fat greek yogurt, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 banana, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter with ice.<\/p>\n

Cottage cheese crunch<\/strong>: half a cup to one cup fat-free cottage cheese, 1 teaspoon honey or agave, \u00bd cup whole-grain cereal or oats, and a dash of cinnamon.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Egg muffinwich<\/strong>: Ditch the fast-food and opt for 1 whole egg, fresh spinach, 1 slice low fat cheese, and 1 slice Canadian bacon served on an whole wheat English muffin.<\/p>\n

Apples and cheese<\/strong>: 1 medium sliced apple and 1 stick of low-fat string cheese.<\/p>\n

Pita and hummus<\/strong>: One 7-inch pita with two spoonfuls of hummus.<\/p>\n

Egg scramble<\/strong>: 2-3 whole eggs or 1 whole egg & 2 egg whites, scrambled with a handful of chopped onion, spinach, and bell peppers.<\/p>\n

AB & J Rice Cakes<\/strong>: Almond butter takes the cake. For this healthier twist on the classic PB & J, sandwich 1 tablespoon of almond butter and 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam between two rice cakes.<\/p>\n

MY HEALTHY SMOOTHIE RECIPE BOOK IS IN THE WORKS!! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING NOTIFIED WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE WEBSITE \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you have read my article about pre & post workout nutrition, but are still a little confused about the best foods to eat before or after your workout, see below.\u00a0 I have provided a few examples of snacks and meals you can try out.\u00a0 Remember there are many other choices so you do not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recipes","category-quick-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1829"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4862,"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829\/revisions\/4862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.core-condition.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}