Here’s your guide to what to eat before exercise for more stamina and muscle

You might be in good shape, eating the right stuff, sleeping on time, exercising regularly and even achieving weight-loss targets, but you will need to inculcate the habit of having the right foods before workouts if you want your body functioning in top gear. If you know what to eat before exercise, you will be able to reach your weight loss and fitness goals much faster. A healthy, pre-workout diet plan determines the productivity level of your workouts, how fast and effectively you manage to lose weight and how much you benefit from them.

Here are a few meals and snacks you must include in your weight loss diet plan. Follow this diet chart for gym starting today.

Greek yoghurt with berries and granola

This combination provides you with both carbs and protein. As far as choosing your yoghurt goes, go for plain ones instead of fruit-flavoured.

The probiotics in Greek yoghurt provide us with microorganisms such as bacteria that reside in our intestines, and are essential for keeping us healthy. If you don’t fortify yourself with good bacteria from probiotics, bad bacteria may end up damaging your immune system.

Whole-fruit smoothie

Choose smoothies over fruit juice as they provide you with fibre too. Fruit smoothies give you folate, vitamin C and potassium. Apart from these, they also provide you with various other nutrients. A solid smoothie combo would be banana, peanut butter, oats and almond milk.

Oatmeal and blueberries

If you’re one of those people who’s always getting late for work, keep a blueberry almond meal ready overnight. This combo gives you a protein punch and helps support the muscles that break down during your workout.

Apple with almond butter and raisins

The crunchy apple is loaded with phyto-nutrients and antioxidants that are excellent for overall health and disease prevention. And we’ve all heard the saying: ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. Apples are rich in dietary fibre, which help prevent the absorption of dietary LDL cholesterol. Almond butter is a nutritional powerhouse containing protein, calcium, folic acid, fibre and more.

Homemade healthy drink

Instead of buying sports drinks with artificial flavours, you make your own natural energy drinks at home. Mix water, homemade squeezed juices and honey to make your own healthy drinks pre-workout.

Low-fat cottage cheese and dried apricots

Cottage cheese is a solid breakfast option that contains good amounts of whey protein and casein. Casein is a protein that takes time to digest, thereby providing your body with fuel for hours on end. It is essential for bodybuilding too. Apricots, on the other hand, are an excellent source of vitamins and are good for your heart and bones.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

If this is a snack you left behind in school, it’s time to get it back. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches provide you with protein, vitamin B, iron and zinc. While potassium is imperative for the regulation of blood pressure, calcium and magnesium are important for bone health. Iron is important for healthy blood oxygenation.

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