Time your meal to perform well

If you’re running a race or competing in an event, have a low fat, high carbohydrate meal 2 to 3 hours beforehand. Eat foods you are familiar with and that you digest easily. Fruit, yogurt, bagels, a smoothie or bowl of cereal are good choice. If you have food in your stomach when you are working out, blood is diverted away from your digestive tract to your working muscle leading to cramps and heavy feeling. If you exercise first thing in the morning, you have enough reserved energy from the day before to sustain 60 to 90 minutes of exercise. If you find it difficult to eat breakfast before an early morning workout, have a carbohydrate-rich snack before bed the night before. If you meal, have a snack 45 to 60 minutes before you begin. Eat potassium rich fruits and vegetables including bananas, oranges, cantaloupe and tomatoes. Replace the sodium lost through sweat by lightly salting your food after exercise. Your food choices and preference may vary depending on the time of day you are exercising, the sport you are doing, and the level of intensity of your workout. You will quickly learn which food combinations work best for you.