What You Should (And Maybe Shouldn’t) Eat Before Pilates
Knowing what to eat before a workout is important as you want your body to feel the best it can and feel strong during your workout.
Eating the right foods before pilates is vital for getting the most out of your workout, but where should you start?
If you have never been to pilates before, you may be unfamiliar with what you should eat before a session.
Alternatively, you might be a regular at pilates but are finding that what you are eating beforehand is affecting your workout, so how can you stop it?
This article will explain what you should and shouldn’t eat before pilates so that you can make sure that your body is in the best condition possible.
Find out more below for snack ideas and what foods should be avoided before taking part in pilates.
Why Is Eating The Right Foods Important?
If you do not eat the right foods before pilates, you are more likely to experience discomfort during the session.
This can take your attention away from your pilates class and focus more on conditions like stomach cramps and heartburn.
You will not get a good workout and you will not feel any progression from your session.
Eating the right foods before pilates gives your body the energy that it needs to take part in your workout.
You will feel more confident during your pilates session and you will feel stronger.
You will find that you can perform a lot of different exercises that you may have struggled with before, so eating properly is vital for feeling your best.
What Foods Should You Eat Before Pilates?
Carbohydrates And Protein
The best snacks to eat before a pilates session contain carbohydrates and protein.
Carbohydrates provide your body with the energy that it needs to function during your exercise classes and protein plays a vital role in developing your muscles.
Therefore, both of these nutrients need to be included in your pre-workout snack.
If you are not sure what snacks contain these nutrients, you can find some examples below to ensure that you are giving your body exactly what it needs to function!
- Avocado and eggs
- Chicken salad
- Fruit and nuts
- Granola, fruit, and yogurt
- Scrambled eggs and vegetables
- Toast with almond butter
- Peanut butter and apple
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Berries
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Hummus and celery sticks
What Foods Shouldn’t You Eat Before Pilates?
Spicy Foods
Eating spicy foods is not a good idea before a pilates session as it can cause you to experience indigestion and heartburn.
Pilates includes lots of abdominal workouts that can cause your body discomfort as the food that you consumed earlier in the day will make you feel unwell, causing you to need to stop your workout.
Heavy Carbohydrates
Heavy carbohydrates come in the form of healthy foods, but they can be a hindrance before your workout and are better to have post-pilates.
Bananas, lentils, and quinoa are all examples of heavy carbohydrates that can take longer for your body to digest, so they should be avoided before a workout.
Sugar
Consuming foods that are high in sugar is not advised before pilates as this can cause your blood sugar levels to crash.
You will not feel like yourself in your workouts and you might feel unstable or shaken when on your feet, which is not how you want to be when you are focusing on strength workouts.
Food That Could Cause Gas!
One of everyone’s biggest fears is having gas in the middle of a pilates class as a lot of the exercises involve bending over and contracting your muscles.
To avoid this embarrassment, avoid foods like lentils, beans, onions, cauliflower, and cabbage.
All of these foods produce gas, which you do not want during a workout!
What Should You Drink?
Lots of people think that energy drinks give you energy for your pilates session, but they are often filled with sugar.
This can cause you to burn out during your workout session, so you want to make sure that you are only putting clean liquids into your body.
Drinking plenty of water is important for keeping you hydrated and energized.
You should avoid other drinks that are high in sugar like soda or milkshakes before pilates, but you should also avoid coffee.
Although coffee is known for providing people with energy, it can often cause them to feel sick during their workouts.
Sticking to drinking pure water before pilates will ensure that your body is in the best condition possible to work out.
When Should You Eat?
Although it is important to eat before your pilates session, you do not want to eat too soon before working out.
This can cause you to feel unwell and uncomfortable during your session, which you want to avoid.
The times differ for snacks and meals, so you need to plan your day well to ensure that you do not feel any discomfort from eating.
If you are having a snack, you will need to eat it between 30 and 45 minutes before your pilates class.
You can have your snack earlier, but this is the latest that you should have it before working out.
If you are having a meal, you will need to have it an hour before your class to avoid feeling so full that you are unable to complete the session.
Can You Eat Earlier?
You can eat earlier if you wish, but you need to make sure that you do not eat too early.
Having your meal or snack too early will cause you to feel hungry halfway through the session.
This can be very distracting and will cause you to have less energy, which you also want to avoid.
All bodies are different, so it is important to find out what works best for you to see when the best time for you to eat is.
What works for your body may not work for someone else’s, so it is important to listen to your body as you know what is best for it.
Do Not Eat Too Much
Listening to your body is important as you need it to have the right fuel to work out and feel strong.
However, eating too much before a pilates session will cause you to feel bloated and lethargic.
Your body will not have time to digest a large amount of food before working out, so having a smaller meal or snack beforehand is recommended.
Once your body is full, do not force yourself to eat more before your session as your body will struggle to digest it.
This can cause you to feel sick, especially when performing some of the exercises.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, there are several things that you should and shouldn’t eat before pilates.
You should eat snacks and meals that have a good balance of carbohydrates and protein to help give you energy and build your muscles, but there are many foods to avoid.
Avoiding spicy food and sugar is important for you to complete your session.
You should avoid eating too close to your workout as you do not want to feel unwell, so make sure that you give your body an appropriate amount of time to digest the food before pilates.
