Fuel your workout with 3 nutrition tips that promote energy and build muscle

Martha M. Henze, MPH, MS, RDN - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Global Public Health Epidemiologist

Looking for nutrition tips to fuel your workout? Feel fatigued and lack the stamina and energy you desire for your exercise training? Try these three tips to optimize your workout.

How to fuel your workout

Poor nutrition and inadequate hydration decrease your ability to complete a quality workout. Since you have already devoted the time to exercise, try these three nutrition tips to fuel your workout.

Tip #1: Eat breakfast

Ironically, what you eat for breakfast affects your ability to exercise even nine hours later during an afternoon or evening workout. Since food is fuel, eating a nutritious breakfast provides you with a strong start to the day.

One study demonstrated that exercisers who ate breakfast and then a light snack before a workout were able to work out 20% harder during a one-hour exercise test compared to those who did not. Invite science to the table and eat breakfast to fuel your workout! If you have never been a breakfast eater, drinking a nutritious drink, such as milk or a smoothie is an easy way to introduce your body to breakfast.

Ideally, fill your plate with three of the five food groups for breakfast: fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy or dairy substitute, and grains.

Try these quick healthy breakfast ideas

• Whole wheat bagel thin, peanut butter, and banana slices
• Hot or cold cereal with nuts, fruit, and milk
• Whole wheat toast with scrambled eggs, spinach, and mushrooms
• Quesadilla with ham, cheese, tomatoes, and peppers
• Breakfast burrito with beans, salsa, and cheese
• Fruit and yogurt smoothie with nuts
• Sliced turkey, red bell peppers, and cheese rolled up in a tortilla

Tip #2: Add protein to your lunch

Not only is protein critical for helping build and repair muscles, but it will also help you feel fuller, longer. For lunch, add some garbanzo beans and walnuts to your salad or add chicken to your pasta dish to provide sustained energy for your workout later. Add protein-rich foods to fuel your workout such as the following:

Foods with protein:

• Fish, including seafood, salmon, tilapia
• Meats, including beef, turkey, chicken, pork
• Beans, including garbanzo, kidney, vegetarian refried beans
• Nuts, including almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts
• Nut butters, including peanut, almond, Brazil nuts
• Milk, including milk alternatives, soy, almond
• Yogurt, including dairy alternatives, soy, almond
• Greek yogurt, which contains more protein than regular yogurt
• Cheese, including string cheese, sharp cheddar, Gruyere
• Cottage cheese

Tip #3: Drink water, drink water, drink water

One of the first signs of dehydration is sluggishness and lack of energy. Depending on how much you sweat, the intensity of your exercise session, and the climate you live in, you should drink two to three liters of water each day.

By eating breakfast, adding protein to lunch, and drinking plenty of water, you can not only fuel your workout, but you will also develop healthy eating habits for life.

Related Topics

Eating and exercise: Dietitian-approved tips for when and what to eat before exercise

Sweating out there in the heat? Here’s how to balance electrolytes naturally

What to eat and drink after a workout to lose weight and build muscle

Reviewed and updated on March 16, 2023 by Brenda Braslow

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Alcohol & Other Beverages->Water Exercise->Fueling for Exercise Meal Planning & Diets->Breakfast

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