Need to Perform? Eat.
It happens, we get side-tracked. We're busy running the kids to soccer practice, commuting home from work, running errands, or cooking dinner. For those of us that workout in the evening, when was the last time you ate? Lunch time? Is it fair to say 4+ hours prior? Even those of us that wake up before the sun does to get your workout in, when do you eat? Is it right after your workout? Is it not until 9:00am? I know it's hard to get up even earlier than you already do to make eggs, vegetables, and slice up an avocado. So how do we fit in time to put something in our system prior to working out. Well, make it work, because you need to eat.
For starters, we know that a calorie is a unit of energy that can either be related to heat, or in our case, nutrition that we eat that is used to give our bodies energy. We just got done our macronutrient counting challenge, and we should all be aware of at least what is a protein, what is a fat, and what is a carbohydrate. Calories are in all of those. A calorie is a calorie.
As I was reading the article of Pre-Exercise Nutrition: The Role of Macronutrients, Modified Starches and Supplements on Metabolism and Endurance Performance, it was easy to see that there is nothing definitive to say that carbohydrates, fats, and proteins make you run farther, lift more weight, or jump higher. Rather, research has given us insight into what is happening to the body with what you eat prior to exercise. Based on research done in the last half century, and carbohydrates show to be the most beneficial for performance as it is likely a result of increased glycogen storage. Fats will increase fat oxidation during intense exercise but don't necessarily translate into increased performance over carbohydrates. Protein, from what has been shown, may increase pre-exercise glycogen synthesis and metabolism during exercise. Which can be argued that protein is just as good pre-workout, as it is post-workout.
In summation, based on the effects of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins on the body, we can conclude that no matter what it is, it's still a calorie and is used to give the body the energy it needs to sustain daily activity; for energy and recovery. Putting something (good) in your body roughly 60 minutes prior very well may be just what your body needs to crush that next workout!
References:
Ormsbee, Michael J., Christopher W. Bach, and Daniel A. Baur. “Pre-Exercise Nutrition: The Role of Macronutrients, Modified Starches and Supplements on Metabolism and Endurance Performance.” Nutrients 6.5 (2014): 1782–1808. PMC. Web. 21 Feb. 2018.
