the most earnest of gymmers negate benefits of exercise by defaulting on what they eat and when to eat is a necessity but to eat intelligently is an art the saying is especially true if you are a gymmer most fitness enthusiasts exercise right but eat wrong nullifying half the goodpreworkout research says your preworkout meal if you weight train must contain 80 per cent carbs and 20 per cent protein since protein needs to be broken down into amino acids so that your muscles can repair themselves and stack up lean tissue its best to have a little protein an hour or two before strength training to power you through a good workout if you are opting for a cardio session yoga aerobics or a run your preworkout nutrition should comprise mostly carbs fitness expert and sports nutritionist leena mogre says something light like an apple eaten 30 minutes before your workout is ideal a boiled unskinned potato is good too but if you plan to go for a run have a banana dont drink tea before a workout as the sugar spike will leave you tired soon slowburning complex carbs found in fruits vegetables wholegrain bread rice pasta and cereals are ideal for a preworkout meal these take longer to convert to glucose keeping your blood sugar levels stable preventing you from suffering an energy crash in the thick of your regime but the more calories you consume before a workout the longer your body takes to digest them and turn them into energy so a small snack is always better to kickstart your session says mogre stay away from simple sugars found in cakes and candiespostworkout whats referred to as the recovery period is the window when muscles restore themselves around 30 minutes after a cardio session your body is geared to refuel its energy reserves muscle glycogen for weight training this post workout nutrition window lasts for two hours depleted muscles need time to heal even more than 24 hours to replace glycogen stores but what they get immediately is key to building lean muscle mogre says to give your body instant protein whey protein is the best option because it is the most complete form and digested quickest another favourite carbprotein drink is chocolate milkshake with very little sugar if you eat chicken fish or pulses the protein in them will take a while to be absorbed by the body you can also try three egg whites and one yolk nuts like almonds and walnuts are great sources of energy too adds mogre the reason why many nutritionists recommend consuming protein within 20 minutes of a workout is because enzymes that help the body resynthesise muscle glycogen are most active during this period besides timely refueling ensures you dont encounter muscle soreness only protein isnt enough to restore muscle glycogen consume carbs too the best carbs to have in this window are fastburning carbs potatoes and white rice mogre suggests you have