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Through her 17 years in the fitness industry, Esther has learned from trial and error what to feed her body before a workout for the best results.
First, lets lay the ground rules! Never EVER eat a meal right before a spin class! We have seen it come out the wrong way and no, you don’t get a free ride for that. Give your GI tract at least 2-hours to digest and absorb a meal before hitting your workout!
If you’re gearing up for a killer spin class and it has been a few hours since your last meal, you should eat a small snack about 30-minutes to 1-hour before your class.
Read below as Esther shares some of her favorite pre-workout snacks that will give you plenty of fuel for your ride:
B-a-n-a-n-a (Minions voice)! Bananas are nature’s power house, loaded with fuel to get you going and keep you going. They are easy to digest, high in carbohydrates, and packed with potassium to help you avoid muscle cramps. When I teach at 6AM, I have 1 banana, 1 greek yogurt and an espresso with rice milk at 5:30AM. This fuels me to give maximum effort - to fuck your legs and my own!
If you’re planning on eating lunch right after class, here are some options to fuel yourself beforehand:
Option 1:
O-a-t-s! I love love love oats. I eat a cup of oats, which is loaded with carbohydrates and doesn’t make me feel bloated. It also keeps me feeling full until the end of class so that I can eat a normal healthy lunch versus selecting a heavy lunch because I feel famished.
Option 2:
Use the same option for a 6AM class above.
Option 3:
Use any of the 6PM class options below.
If you are not going to refuel immediately after class with a meal:
Option 1:
1 slice of whole grain bread and top it off with honey and a banana.
Option 2:
1 slice of whole grain bread with sliced hard-boiled egg for high protein if I am going to do a double workout that day.
Option 3:
Add slices of turkey to 1 slice of whole grain bread for more protein if you are training really hard.
Note - if your main goal is to lose weight, then opt for the oatmeal or a banana and eat a healthy lunch post workout.
The options are infinite!
1 rice cake with 1 tablespoon of almond butter
1 banana with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter
1 fruit and yogurt
2 Fig newtons
5 saltine crackers or pretzels hand full of dried apricots
Keep in mind, these are all snack suggestions and not meals. Do not overeat before your workout or you will feel full, bloated, heavy, sluggish, nauseous, and want to vomit.
Sometimes before a 6PM, I don’t have time to prepare my magical pre-class fuel so I’ll opt for these store bought items:
Health warrior chia bars
Honey stinger waffles
Noka superfood blends packs
Remember: food is FUEL! Have fun with it and get creative. If you want a strong body, you need to fuel that bitch up!
Tags: pre-spin fuel
