What to Eat Before an Early Morning Workout

The alarm goes off at 6 am. Time for your early morning workout before heading into the office. The last thing you feel like doing is getting up even earlier to eat breakfast. But 30 minutes into your workout, you start to feel weak. Seems like your “no time for breakfast” regimen isn’t working so well. Not a surprise – you can’t expect an engine to run on an empty tank! Studies have shown that what you eat prior to working out can have a major effect on your energy levels. So what are some foods you can eat before working out?

Problems associated with early morning workouts

It’s great to exercise early in the day and get it over with. But there can be problems associated with this early workout time.
1. You may have no appetite this early.
2. No time to eat. Alarm goes off and you’re out the door in 15 minutes.
3. Digestive issues.  Eating too soon to working out can wreak havoc with digestive systems and cause cramps, nausea or the urge to go … especially if you are running or in a sport where your body is moving up and down, as compared to cycling.

Importance of pre-exercise “feeding”

Numerous studies have shown that eating prior to exercise can improve your energy levels as well as performance if you are competing. This is especially important if you are performing endurance type exercise for over 60 minutes or exercising very intensely for an hour (like a tough boot camp class). Carbohydrates are the main fuel for your exercising muscles and brain. Your body has been in a fasted state since the previous evening. So if you exercise on an empty stomach, you may find your energy levels dropping mid-workout.

Pre-workout feeding do’s and don’ts

If you’ve ever tried to do a long run with a cheese omelet or big bowl of All Bran cereal sitting in your stomach, you know first-hand these aren’t the best choices!

Here are 4  factors to consider when planning your pre-workout feeding:

1. Include easily digested carbs. While some fiber is fine (like oatmeal or a slice of whole grain bread), save the high fiber cereal for another day! In addition to causing GI upset, high fiber foods can slow digestion time.
2. Low in fat. Fat slows the time the food gets emptied from your stomach. You want the fuel to get to your muscles, not sit in your stomach. So don’t slather the cream cheese or peanut butter on  your toast.
3. Can include a little protein. While protein is not the major fuel for exercise, it can give you more staying power.
4. While I usually recommend limiting added sugars, sugar can be your friend if consumed close to your workout.  It gets digested and goes to the muscles quickly … and doesn’t take up a lot of room in your stomach. Years ago, we were told to avoid foods with a high glycemic index prior to exercise as it would cause low blood sugar. We know know this isn’t true for most of us. And any effect of causing feelings of low blood sugar are usually transient and disappear once you start to exercise. But pay attention to how you feel.

So what should you eat?

While the ideal digestion time for a light snack is an hour or so, I am going to assume you will be working out 15 – 30 minutes after eating. These “feeding” recommendations are only suggestions. You will need to find out what works best for you. You may have an iron stomach and can eat just about anything or find you can’t tolerate any solid foodat all  prior to an early morning workout. In addition, the calories and amounts of carbs would need to be tailored to your weight, caloric needs and overall goals.
Recommended meals/snacks prior to exercise

Light workout  (less than 1 hour in duration and not that intense)  Example: 30 minute speed walk or  easy run or a toning class at the gym.
Examples (100-150 calories)
– piece of fruit – bananas are my favorite as they are easily digestible
– pack of instant oatmeal  or small mini bowl of low fiber cereal with ~4 oz nonfat/lowfat milk
– 1/2 of a 200 calorie energy bar. Note: not a high protein bar.
– slice of toast with 1 T. cottage cheese or  2 tsp. jam
–  4 oz yogurt with 1/2 cup berries
– 100 – 150 calories of a yogurt smoothie
– mini bottle of Kefir. I like the Lifeway strawberry flavor

Moderate workout (an hour of more intense workout) Example: boot camp class, 5 mile run, 15 mile bike ride, spin class.
Examples: (150 – 250 calories)
– whole energy bar (a bar that is mainly carbs like a Cliff or Power Bar vs. a Kind Bar)
– yogurt and a banana or any fruit
– larger bowl of cereal with lowfat/nonfat milk
– oatmeal with sliced fruit and a few nuts
– english muffin with jelly and 1 tsp. peanut butter (go easy on the pb as it takes longer to digest)
– yogurt smoothie for 200 calories
– sports drink and a few crackers

Endurance exercise (over 60-90 minutes) Examples: 10 mile run or 20+ mile bike ride. Aim for .5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. For example, a 150 pound person would aim for 75 grams of carbs.
Examples:
NYC bagel with a little jam
Bowl of oatmeal, with sliced banana
My personal favorite before a long bike ride (50 miles+) is 1 1/2 mashed bananas (put into microwave), some maple syrup and a dollup of plain greek yogurt (2% Chobani is my fav). It contains 60 grams of carbs, is easily digested, low in fiber, and contains a  little protein … and it’s quick and tasty!

Last word – experiment
You will need to experiment with what foods you can tolerate at this early hour. Some people feel great with a light snack, some do better with liquid calories while others find they can’t tolerate anything at all prior to early morning exercise. If this is the case, make sure you have a good breakfast after your workout that includes carbs and protein. And don’t forget about hydration.

Disclosure: I am consulting with the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers as part of their Fuel your Workout with Maple campaign. While all added sugars should be consumed in moderation, pure maple syrup contains beneficial vitamins/minerals, 54 antioxidants and can help fuel muscles before, during and after exercise.

What do you eat before an early morning workout?