Food is the fuel for your muscles and what you eat - - or don't eat -- before and after exercise can affect your performance and keep you from getting what you should from a workout. 

Three Hours Before the Workout
You have plenty of time to digest your food, so fuel up!
If you are not planning a workout for a few hours, you can eat a full meal.
 "Three hours before exercise, most people's stomachs can handle protein as well as carbohydrates," said Roxanne Moore, registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. 

A light and balanced meal is best at this time. 
>>  Try a turkey sandwich, a piece of fruit and a glass of milk. 

One Hour or Less Before 
A high carbohydrate snack is best for a quick pick-me-up. 
Stocking up on carbohydrates will increase the body's energy stores of glycogen in the muscles. Stay away from protein at this time. Although it is a source of energy for your body, it won't have enough time to do it's magic and may actually hinder your performance. 
"Protein slows down digestion. If you eat it right before a workout, it will still be in your stomach and may cause stomach upset," Moore said. 

>>   Try a bagel, a piece of fruit, cereal and milk, crackers or a sports bar. 

Right After the Workout
When you finish a workout, your body isn't ready to accept heavy solid foods, but it is important to replenish carbohydrates. "Glycogen gets used up during exercise and if it is not
 restored the muscles will become fatigued over time," Moore said. This will affect future performance. 
Eating 50 grams of carbohydrates as soon as possible after you finish an intense workout will
speed your body's recovery, according to Jon Heck, certified athletic trainer at Stockton College. Fifty grams of carbohydrates is equivalent to about 200 calories and can be fulfilled with a small, healthy snack. 

>>   Try an apple and a cup of juice, a bowl of pasta, fig bars, crackers or a sports drink.

A Few Hours Later
A balanced meal including protein is best here, according to drkoop.com nutrition expert Sharon Howard. 
Protein is responsible for building and maintaining muscles.  It provides amino acids that help repair the muscle damage that naturally occurs during training and exercise. Eating right at this time will improve your performance in tomorrow's workout. 

>>   Try a lean cut of beef, mixed vegetables, pinto beans and a glass of milk. 

Don't Forget the Fluids
"One of the most important things that people overlook is fluids," Moore said. The American Dietetic Association recommends drinking 8 to 16 ounces of fluid one hour before a workout and another half cup about 15 minutes before.
Soda and fruit juices are not recommended as pre-workout thirst quenchers.
Caffeine can dehydrate you and fruit juices' high concentrated sugar content can cause discomfort during exercise. 

After exercising, you need to take in two cups of fluid for every pound of body weight that you lost during the workout. "If you weighed 150 pounds before a workout and 148 pounds after, you have unfortunately not lost that weight in fat mass, you have lost it in fluids. 
And those fluids need to be replaced," Moore said. 

Keep your body fueled up with the right food and it will make you proud during your next workout. 
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Pre-Exercise Eating Tips
Experiment with your eating schedule to see what works best for you. Keep these tips in mind. 

     A high carbohydrate, low fat snack is easily digested and normalizes blood sugar 
     Avoid fatty meals or snacks, because they delay stomach emptying 
     Meal should be moderate in protein, just enough to satisfy hunger. 
     Drink lots of fluids. Your snack can be a liquid meal such as a fruit shake. (See recipe) 
     A light workout can be preceded with a light snack, but leave more lead time for intense workouts. 

10 Snack Ideas before a Workout
The snack should contain 40 to 100 grams of carbohydrates, and low in fat.
Too much fiber may stimulate the digestive system at an inappropriate time. 

     Milk and 12 crackers, 2 Tbsp peanut butter (54 grams carb) 
     Banana and yogurt (56 grams) 
     Bagel with jelly and juice (83 grams) 
     Cereal (1 oz) and milk (34 grams) 
     Juice and pretzels (50 grams) 
     Sports drink, 16 oz (30 grams) 
     Sports bar and water (20-50 grams) 
     Fresh fruits such as oranges or bananas (15-25 grams per) 
     Low fat vegetable soup, chicken noodle or tomato and crackers (40-50 grams) 
     Blueberry muffin or fig bars and milk (45 grams) 

What about sugar before exercise?
Some athletes can consume sugared soft drinks just before exercising, but they are taking a risk of causing hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. About 10 minutes after starting out, a sugar low will hit with lightheadedness and fatigue. 

The rush of sugar causes a rush of insulin, and with the muscles using glycogen so quickly, low blood sugar results. This is not common, but you know if you have this problem. 

Will eating a candy bar before exercise give the quickest energy? No, it will probably just give you a tummy ache. The fat in a candy bar may delay stomach emptying. Most of the energy used during your workout is stored glycogen, which comes from what you've eaten for days before you exercise. Also, how you replenished fluids and fuel after your last workout is important. 

What about food during exercise?
During exercise, your body uses sugar without needing insulin, so a sip of sweetened drink during exercise is not a problem, but water is best. 

Exercise that exceeds one hour may require carbohydrate intake, to delay fatigue. Before getting too tired, consuming 30 grams of carbohydrate every 30 minutes can provide an extra boost. 

However, if the drink is too high in sugar, the liquid will remain in the stomach longer and cause sloshing. Sports drinks are designed with a small amount of quickly absorbed carbohydrate and electrolytes to replenish sweat and blood sugar during exercise. 

For a short workout, less than 60 minutes, water is adequate. See next week's article on fluids and sports drinks. 

Recovery Eating
After exercise, athletes need carbohydrate and fluid to replace glycogen and water losses during the exercise. They will recover faster if they eat a high carbohydrate diet -- from 250 to 550 grams of carbohydrates a day. The muscles store more glycogen immediately after exercise than they do later. 

Eat or drink carbohydrates as soon as you can tolerate them. Plan to consume 1.5 grams CHO/gm body weight within the first hour post exercise. 

Juices work great because of the carbohydrate and fluid, and then add solid foods one to three hours later. 

Sports drinks have half the carbohydrates as juices, so they are more appropriate during exercise. What you eat after exercise is very critical to your performance the next day, since the body needs carbohydrates to restock your glycogen stores. Protein at the post game meal (two hours later) is also important to repair and build the muscle tissue.