Should you exercise in the morning or the evening? — A Health Coach Answers
Welcome to another episode of Health Coach Answers! I’m Coach Lindsay and I’ll be answering your top five questions of the week.
So our first question here is, what should I be eating before and after a workout? And when should I be eating?
Coach Lindsay: So this has been a really common question. And I love this question. Because really, when we're looking at workouts — workouts and nutrition complement each other, right? We have to make sure we're fueling our body correctly, before and after workout. So let's talk a little bit about before working out. It's generally best to have small meals or snacks one to three hours before your workout, and then saving your larger meals three to four hours before.
Coach Lindsay: And there's a couple of reasons for this one is a really obvious reason, right? If we have a really big meal before workout, we're going to be sluggish, we're going to be really full, we might even make ourselves sick. And so that's not always ideal. We want to make sure that we're just having a small snack or a small meal just to kind of help us get energized and ready for that workout.
Coach Lindsay: Another reason is, when we eat, our digestion starts to begin. Our digestion begins with salivation, right? So if we're eating a small meal, or a big meal, right before a workout, all of our energy is going to be going towards digestion. It's going to be focused on breaking down, you know, the foods, the nutrients and doing what it needs to do. So it's taking away the energy that needs to be used for our workouts so we can maximize our potential. Those are the main reasons why we want to make sure we're just eating small meals or snacks within that one to three hour period before working out.
Coach Lindsay: And then what to eat. So what does that mean, what do I eat before workout?
Coach Lindsay: When we think about what we need in order to do a workout, we need energy. And we get most of our energy from carbohydrates, from glucose. So we want to focus on those foods that are going to bring us a lot of nutrient density, some energy through carbs or glucose. And that is going to look like oatmeal, fresh fruit or frozen fruits. Veggie and fruit smoothies are really good because you're getting veggies and fruits, obviously. But they’re also quick to drink and you can get extra protein from the Greek yogurt or almond milk that you're adding, depending on how you make your smoothies. Trail mix is actually a really good pre workout snack. And then caffeine actually is really good to consume before workout. So obviously doing like a sugar free option, or preferably just black coffee or tea before a workout. And then apples actually can give you a good amount of caffeine and energy for that workout. So yeah, like a smoothie, and an apple would be a really good example of a before workout snack.
Coach Lindsay: And then after our workouts, what our body needs is replenishment. So we're going to be replenishing our glucose, we're going to be wanting to also make sure we're having consuming protein so that our muscles can rebuild themselves. And so we want to make sure we're having a good balanced meal within two hours of that workout — that's when you're going to be able to maximize and make sure that you're replenishing what your body lost during that workout.
Coach Lindsay: So examples of this are like salmon with quinoa, and some roasted veggies or eggs and Ezekiel bread. Greek yogurt and granola is also a good option, obviously sugar free granola or keto granola. But nuts are a good option, in addition to granola. And yeah, just any kind of protein, I always talk about the MyPlate visual of half veggies, quarter protein, quarter whole grains. So as long as you're doing something along those lines after an exercise within two hours, you're going to be setting yourself up for that replenishment.
Coach Lindsay: And then the last thing I want to talk about is hydration. So often times hydration is forgotten about in all aspects of this journey, right? We want to make sure we're staying not only hydrated throughout the day, but we're also making sure we're replenishing the water lost from sweat. So if you're doing a really lighter intensity workout, like a stretch or a yoga and you're not sweating as much, you really won't need to hydrate as much after workout. But if your perspiring a lot, that's water lost. And so we want to replenish that. Make sure you're just aiming for that 64 ounces a day total.
Coach Lindsay: And then when it comes to electrolytes — we talked about this last week — if you're doing a workout longer than one hour, you want to make sure that you're replenishing those electrolytes lost. So this can come from food or drink, but make sure you're focusing on foods or drinks with potassium, magnesium and calcium. That's why they always say chocolate milk is actually really good post workout. Obviously the sugar is in it, but the calcium, magnesium and potassium that you're getting from that as always good. So yeah, that's kind of a good breakdown of what to eat before and after workout and when to.
The second question is kind of similar in a sense, so is it best to eat or is it best to exercise morning or evening?
Coach Lindsay: For this question, I'm not gonna really going to give you a black or white answer because there's not a black or white answer, right? It's whatever fits your schedule and whatever leads to consistency. So yes, there are small benefits between working out in the morning versus the evening and vice versa. But those aren't going to be as important as the benefit of being consistent. So whether that's, you know, if you are someone who absolutely has to work out first thing in the morning, great. That's going to be what's best for you. Or if you're somebody who has maybe a demanding job, and you have to do it after dinnertime, or right before bed, that's fine, too.
Coach Lindsay: I will talk about a couple of things here. So with nighttime or evening workouts, it is recommended to not exercise two hours before bed. And you know, for some that has an effect, and for some it doesn't. But in general, if you think about exercise, you're getting your endorphins up, you're getting energized. And so that's going to carry a few hours into your rest of your day. And so that might affect your sleep, it might not, it also might make you sleep better if you're getting that energy out. So you kind of have to play around with what works best for you.
Coach Lindsay: And then, in terms of morning workouts, it has been shown to improve sleep overall and energy throughout the day. So if you're starting, you're starting your day with a workout, that's going to give you natural energy. You're going to be a lot more awake and energized. So that's kind of the benefits of morning workouts.
Coach Lindsay: And then the third thing you want to take into consideration here relates to that first question of — think about when you can fuel your body best. So if you're somebody who works out right after dinner, after having a large meal, it might be something to consider if you're not seeing good results. It might be interfering with your results there. And then vice versa. If you're someone who works out first thing in the morning fasted, and you just find that you don't have the energy, it may be worth kind of sneaking in a pre workout snack there.
Coach Lindsay: So it really comes down to what's going to be consistent, what's going to allow you to be consistent, and what's going to be sustainable for you long term as well.
And our third question is, what is the difference between intuitive eating and mindful eating?
Coach Lindsay: I love this question because these two things have really come to fruition. And especially intuitive eating has been talked about a lot. We actually did a really great mindful eating exercise a couple months ago. And it was actually one of my favorite events. If that's something that you are interested, we have it printed out on a worksheet for you to do on your own.
Coach Lindsay: But to kind of break it down, both of them can be used together to complement each other, but they do have different components. And both of the purposes of intuitive eating and mindful eating is to get you away from diet culture or diet influenced ways of eating and more so into balance, and listening to what your body really needs way of eating.
Coach Lindsay: So mindful eating, by definition is being fully attentive and intentional with your food as you buy, prepare, serve and consume it right. Each stage of that food’s life, you're constantly thinking about as you're eating it. Paying attention to, you know, the five senses. So taste, touch, smell all of those things in the present moment. And the third or the last component of this is non judgmental, ok, so mindful eating doesn't only happen when you're eating healthy stuff, it needs to happen to when you're eating, not so healthy stuff. Because that's going to help you kind of reframe your thinking and make you really appreciate that food, let you enjoy it a little bit more either way.
Coach Lindsay: So that's the definition of mindful eating. Intuitive eating — mindful eating is more physical, intuitive eating is a little bit more mental. So it it allows you to sort of make peace with certain types of foods. Unlike traditional dieting, it doesn't restrict or ban certain foods. It more so just allows you to look at food as fuel. So no such thing as good or bad in the ways of intuitive eating. And it really just allows you to think about what does my body truly need in this moment? So it allows you to think a little bit more before making a quick decision. It helps you really reflect on your hunger cues, fullness cues, enjoyment of eating, because there's not ideally a lot of guilt with intuitive eating, because again, you're looking at certain foods as fuel for your body.
Coach Lindsay: Again, they can be used together, but they are two separate things. When it comes to the benefits of both, there's a huge benefit in dealing with snacking and overconsumption. So both are gonna allow you to eat slower, because if you're sitting there mindfully eating, and you're thinking about all five senses, and you're thinking about what did it take for this food to get in my mouth and what is going to be the journey going through my digestive system of this food, that's going to allow you to eat a lot slower. In addition to that, like I said, it's going to allow you to learn your hunger and fullness cues. It's going to allow you to find what your true craving means.
Coach Lindsay: So a lot of us crave sweet foods, right? But sometimes, a sugary option is not really what our body needs. Maybe our body needs energy, maybe our body needs sleep. So letting yourself kind of put trust in your body to tell you what you really need in terms of food. Both are awesome. Both can be used together. Both can be used separately, but that's the difference.
Next question. How many hours of sleep do I need?
Coach Lindsay: This is a pretty basic answer: 7-8 hours. That's always kind of been where we've what we've been told. And I brought this question because obviously, as we age, sleeping and quality of sleep can decrease for many different reasons. And so we want to make sure we're doing what we can for our sleep hygiene because our sleep also really sets the foundation for our day. If we don't get enough sleep, if we're waking up frequently throughout the night, we're going to be less inclined to stick to our goals, be motivated to do our goals, have energy and stuff like that. So you want to make sure you're getting adequate sleep.
Coach Lindsay: Inadequate sleep is also linked to health risks like heart disease, weight gain, depression, and dementia. So we think about sleep as the process of our body regenerating, right? And so if we're not letting ourselves rest and regenerate, our memory issues come into play and a lot of other health issues come into play. So we want to make sure we're getting a lot of sleep or enough sleep anyways.
Coach Lindsay: And then I've talked a lot about the hormone ghrelin in a lot of my other sessions. When we have a bad night of sleep, or we're not getting enough sleep, that hormone is elevated. And so that is going to increase our hunger, it's going to increase our appetite. I know we've all been in the place of, if we didn't get enough sleep, finding ourselves a little bit more hungry. And that's why.
Coach Lindsay: So some things that you can do to overcome this a little bit and get into a better sleeping routine is create a relaxing environment for yourself before bed and stick to a consistent schedule. So whatever your bedtime routine looks like, stick to that. So maybe that's taking a bath and then reading a book for 20 minutes and then going to bed or whatever. It's going to look different for everybody, but follow some sort of consistent routine.
Coach Lindsay: The next thing is limit your exposure to blue light, or just bright lights. So I know for myself, like I like to fall asleep with the TV on but that's more stimulating. And it just makes it harder to fall asleep. So if you're somebody who scrolls through your phone before bed, or maybe you read a book on your Kindle or tablet, that light is going to be very stimulating to our brains and it's going to affect our sleep. So keep those things in mind.
Coach Lindsay: Some things that you can also do to help your sleep is be exposed to natural light early in the day that actually improves our sleep the next night. Exercising daily, avoiding caffeine and alcohol read before bed. And then again, avoiding a large meal before bed because your body is going through that digestive process — it's going to be energized and focused on that. So it's going to affect your sleep. So trying to get that 7-8 hours is what's recommended.
Coach Lindsay: However, I know a lot of you are in health care, you're nurses, you work nights, you have four days on three days off, and it's just really hard to keep that schedule. And that's ok, that's where you're at currently. And so you just have to do with what you can. So focus on the things you can control if you want, you know, on the times that you do get to sleep, focus on having that consistent routine and getting rid of the bright lights and stuff like that.
Our last question couldn't be more timely. It's how to be successful handling social events (like 4th of July)?
Coach Lindsay: So I brought this question in because we are obviously coming up on the Fourth of July weekend. And I know and I'm sure many of you are a little bit worried that there's barbecues there's alcohol, there's camping, there's a bunch of things that are going to come into play this weekend that you question how you're going to be able to stay on track.
Coach Lindsay: I think the biggest thing and the one tip that I want to mention — this kind of doesn't ring true for 4th of July but more so Thanksgiving — is don't starve yourself and plan for one meal. So how many of us have gone into Thanksgiving and you're like, “I'm not going to eat all day, I'm just going to eat a huge meal”? And that's common for a lot of other holidays too. So start your day like you normally would any other day. Start even just with a healthy breakfast, even if the rest of your day isn't as great, start your day off right at least. And eat consistently, eat nutrient dense foods throughout the day so that you're not just over consuming one large meal.
Coach Lindsay: And then planning — planning is always key. Planning is key for anything you do. So even if your plan is to go into the holiday weekend, enjoying yourself, having drinks, having barbecue, great! That's your plan and you have one in place. But have some sort of plan in place. And this can look like anything, we don't have to be all or nothing right? So this can even look like, if you have alcohol, maybe you make sure you have a veggie with your dinner. Or every time you have a beer, you have a water in between. Or whatever that may look like, just come up with some sort of balance or plan.
Coach Lindsay: And then that's more nutrition-ended, so what do we do when it comes to movement? What do we do if we're out camping and we can't get exercise in or you know, anything like that? So just like with anything, when you don't have time for it, find time in your day to just move a little bit more. So go for a quick five minute walk while you're camping. Or if you're at the lake, do some squats on the boat or something like that. Just find different ways to make yourself move a little bit even if it's not a structured workout.
Coach Lindsay: The other thing is thinking about what the true meaning of holidays are. Ok, so a lot of holidays, actually every single holiday, revolves around food. But that's not really why we're here. That's not the meaning of the holiday. So always remember that food is not the only reason for the holiday, and it doesn't have to revolve around food. And when it comes to gathering too, like if you're going to a barbecue this weekend, and there's a big, long table of food, don't socialize next to that next that table. Because you're more likely to graze and then all of a sudden, you've eaten a whole bowl of chips and you're like, “what the heck just happened?” So you know, grab some lawn chairs, or go across the yard and socialize there. That way you're not around the food constantly.
Coach Lindsay: So, bottom line, yes, holidays are harder. There's certain things that are barriers that come into play, but plan ahead, try to kind of take your focus off of food, include your support system, include your friends and family into your goals and just take charge of it. And worst case, if everything goes amuck, you just get right back on track on Tuesday.
Coach Lindsay: Ok, that's all I have for you guys today. So thank you for joining me, and we'll see you guys back here next week.