What You Should Eat Before And After A Workout

Keep It Cleaner founders Stephanie Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw tells us what to eat before and after a workout.

You can’t drive a car without fuel, and the same goes for our bodies – you need to fuel it first with nutrition and energy. What we eat before and after a workout is so important and too many women eat the wrong thing or don’t eat at all which really impact their sweat sesh.

Ensuring you’re properly hydrated (before, during and after exercise) and have eaten the right foods helps maintain blood glucose concentration, maximise exercise performance, and speed up recovery time. And we’re not talking about supplements or expensive protein shakes; we’re talking about delicious snacks and ideas that are packed with flavour and easy to make. Here’s what our KIC Girls eat before and after exercise.

 

FUEL UP BEFORE YOUR WORKOUT

  1. KIC Clean Choc Chip Cookies

Cookies before a workout? Seems crazy, right? However, ours are made with almond meal, dates and Greek yoghurt so your body can enjoy a protein and good carb hit before you train. Here’s the recipe so you can make a batch today.

Ingredients:

1 cup Spelt flour (or gluten-free flour)

2⁄3 cups almond meal

6 medjool dates

1⁄3 cup Greek yoghurt

2 tbs almond butter

2 tbsp rice malt syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbs coconut oil

1 tsp baking powder

50g dark chocolate (85%), finely chopped or 1⁄2 cup dark chocolate chips

 

Methods:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Combine flour, almond meal and dates in a food processor on high to form a paste.
  3. Add remaining ingredients, except the chocolate, and blend again on high to combine. The mixture should be quite ‘doughy’. Fold through chopped chocolate.
  4. Roll tablespoons of mixture into small balls and transfer to tray. Use the back of a wet tablespoon, to flatten balls into cookies.
  5. Bake for 12-13 minutes, but start checking about 11…they burn very quickly.
  6. Keep it Cleaner Bliss Ball

These are the perfect option for pre-workout as they are full of goodness to energise you for your workout but won’t leave you feeling heavy while you are working out. They are always our go to! Steph’s fave is Choc Hazelnut and Laura’s is Fig and Walnut.

  1. Banana smoothie

Not only is it delicious, but it’s so easy to make. We loving banana smoothies because bananas are rich in carbohydrates – they contain sugars and starch that provide energy for your body. If you’re not in the mood for a smoothie, try mashing a banana on two slices of wholegrain toast and lightly drizzle with a little honey.

  1. Apple slices and peanut butter

This easy food combo is one of our faves. Simply cut an apple into wedges (or slices) and spread with a tablespoon of peanut butter (make sure it’s one of the natural ones). Your body will use the sugar from the apple as fuel and the peanut butter will keep you full and satisfied.

REFUEL AFTER YOUR WORKOUT 

  1. Keep it Cleaner Choc / Cherry Protein Bar

This is seriously the best post workout snack ever! It is a great source of protein to help your muscles recover, full of nourishing ingredients and as a bonus tastes like a chocolate brownie. Our fave!

 

  1. Smoked salmon on crispbread

This fish is filled with so much goodness like omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and vitamin B so it’s ideal for a post-workout snack. We suggest adding a few slices of smoked salmon to gluten-free crispbread spread with a little cottage cheese and salt and pepper.

 

  1. Avo on sourdough toast

Who doesn’t love avocado? Exactly! Avocados are packed with potassium, so you can replenish what you lost through sweat. And the carbs from the toast will help replenish the muscle glycogen that you burned during your workout.

 

  1. Savoury muffin

We like to pre-bake a batch so we always have a post-workout snack at hand. Ours are made with eggs and a little cheese so our bodies enjoy that much-needed protein to help our muscles recover. And for an extra protein and fibre hit, we also add chopped chorizo, kale and cherry tomatoes.

 

  1. Smoked salmon on crispbread

This fish is filled with so much goodness like omega-3 fatty acids, potassium and vitamin B so it’s ideal for a post-workout snack. We suggest adding a few slices of smoked salmon to gluten-free crispbread spread with a little cottage cheese and salt and pepper.

 Keep It Cleaner is an online health, lifestyle and wellness program aimed to motivate girls to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For more information head over to www.kicgirls.com

 

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Verified by MonsterInsights