You can improve how you feel during and after working out by eating the right foods at the right times. There are some pretty well tested guidelines to follow about what to eat and when eating will be most effective for your energy levels. Still, some experimentation will be required so that you can find what fits well with your stomach.
If you are working out in the morning, it will be best to eat breakfast first. While you sleep, your body continues to burn its stored glycogen from the liver, which is the source of carbohydrate that maintains normal blood sugar levels. A breakfast made of mainly carbohydrate with some protein will give you the morning boost you need. The carbs will give you energy on store for your workout, and the protein will give you a ready source of amino acids to start rebuilding your muscles after the workout.
If you are working out in the afternoon or evening, you will probably have enough energy from your last meal.
To time your meals, remember this general rule. Allow 3-4 hours for large meals to digest, 2-3 hours for a smaller meal, and less than an hour for a small snack. It is important not to eat large meals right before working out. During workouts, the body shuttles blood from the stomach to the working muscles. Because of this, digestion slows or even stops during intense workouts. So you can count on any food that is in your stomach to sit in your stomach while you are working out. If you are doing an exercise like swimming or biking, that will not effect you as much as if you are doing an exercise like running. Any exercise that causes your stomach to jostle around will probably cause you to regret that ribeye in your tummy.
Any carbs you eat before working out will be your main source of energy, as long as you give them time to digest and get to your blood. The glycogen in your blood will last you for 45-60 minutes of exercise, so you won't need any other calories while you exercise. Any gels you eat during these shorter workouts would just be wasted money. Gatorade also is not needed for workouts under an hour. Water is all you will need to stay hydrated. Limit your protein and fat consumption before exercise. Carbs will digest faster and exit the stomach quicker, although as I mentioned earlier, there is a post workout benefit to eating a small amount of protein pre-workout.
One other thing to consider consuming pre-workout is caffeine. Caffeine enhances performance and makes effort seem easier. So go ahead and have your cup of coffee. Just remember that coffee can also encourage bowel movements, which can be a problem if you are planning on running. I call situations where I have to find a store on my course with a public restroom "code browns".
Consider these foods to get energy before workouts, especially if you are working out in the morning. A toasted whole wheat bagel or muffin with some peanut butter, a cup of yogurt, a meal replacement bar, a Nutrition-Grain bar, some dry cereal with milk, fruit with a glass of milk. All of these have carbs with some protein.
One other thing I like to do if my workouts are going to be close to an hour long is to shoot a gel about 30 minutes before I start my exercise. I also do this for any races that are 10k or longer. This way, the sugar is getting to my system about 30 minutes into my workout, keeping my energy level high for the remainder of the hour.
Of course, none of us live in the perfect world where we can time all our meals to get optimum benefit during our workouts. Just do your best and find out how much your stomach can tolerate. Triscuts are a great pre workout snack for carbs, but if I eat them an hour for a run, I'll burp them up and be miserable the whole time. A Clif Bar, on the other hand, sits pretty well with me.
In general, try to keep these things in mind. Get the majority of you calories each day from carbs. This will help your body replace muscle glycogen between workouts. If you work out in the mornings, you will perform better if you eat first, at least an hour before hand if possible. Have a small amount of protein with your pre workout meal to help with muscle recovery post workout. If you are fully charged before you start your workout, you should be good for about an hour long workout. The only stimulant I use is either coffee or the strawberry Crystal Light with caffeine. If you eat correctly, I don't think you should have any need for Red Bull, Monster, or any other energy drinks or pills.
I'll try to get some info out in the next few days on post workout nutrition.
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