Preparation is key when preparing for a workout. Here are some of our top tips!

Warm up exercises

Warming up helps raise the temperature of your body and your muscles so you'll be ready for exercise and helping to prevent injuries. Some easy warm up exercises include:

• Marching on the spot for 3 minutes
• 2-3 minutes of skipping
• 20 body weigh squats
• 5 lunges (each leg)
• 20 shoulder circles.

What to eat before you train

According to Dietitian Simon Austin, it’s important to fuel your body with healthy, nutritious and wholesome food before exercise. It is also important for your food options to be low in fat and moderate in fibre to aid digestion.

Simone says, “The best time to eat is one and a half to two hours before intense exercise. Suitable snacks that are generally easy to digest include:

• Whole grain toast with Avocado
• Greek Yoghurt
• Boiled Eggs on toast or sweet potato omelette
• Apples/Banana with nut butter
• Oats
• Cooked beans or legumes
• Rice cakes
• Brown rice with tuna or chicken and vegetables
• Banana with peanut butter
• Smoothie.

Why it is important to eat before you train

The main aim of your pre-workout meal is to provide energy for your brain and working muscles, says Simone. “Your brain runs on glucose and your muscles are waiting for energy. Having enough energy and protein allows the energy to be used to fuel the session so you can work at your hardest and the protein to be spared for muscle building and repair.”

Simone believes “If you need to sprint and have bursts of energy then carbohydrates are particularly important to be topped up on. If you are opting for low intensity exercise then your previous meal may be sufficient to fuel your session. It can be easy to overeat to compensate for what is used in exercise. How much and what you need to eat before training is very individual.”

Hydration

Don’t forget to include fluid – sip water and electrolyte liquid throughout the day to keep hydrated. Slow and steady wins the hydration race in this case.