Eating Before Exercise

If you are regarding your diet in conjunction with exercise, there are some more specific factors to consider. Before sport, it is important to think carefully about what you eat and drink as it can affect your performance. Eating too much could leave you feeling ill or nauseous whilst exercising and eating too little will make you feel empty and exhausted. Make sure you eat before any physical activity but leave your body at least an hour and a half to digest the food properly. This way your body will be fuelled and ready for the activity to come. Try to consume slow release carbohydrates before sport, like pasta, breads and fruit, as these will help provide energy whilst you exercise. More sugar rich foods are better had half an hour before physical activity and only in small quantities. Whilst sugar provides a quick release source of energy, in large quantities there can be what is known as a ‘sugar rush’ then followed later by a ‘come down’ where the sugar has worn off and your body has no fuel left on which to run. This is why it is important to eat carbohydrate as they will release energy slowly and evenly across the duration of your sporting activity and keep your body fuelled.