These kinds of balanced meals help prep the muscles for sustained activity.
Say you plan to run after work. You have a balanced lunch by the rule of thirds, but hours pass before your shift ends and you finally hit the pavement. Have a few snacks ready, she says — maybe a banana a couple hours after lunch and a scoop of applesauce right before your run.
Otherwise, for a pre-run meal, consider more quick-digesting carbs, she says, such as white rice, white potatoes or white bread — “things that are easy to get into your system, easy for your body to digest and use for energy.”
Longer times or distances call for quick-digesting carbs during the run. If you’re going for more than 60 minutes, have a sports drink, energy gel or “something that’s easy to carry on your person that you can eat and keep moving along,” Urrutia says. This type of on-the-go snack is especially important during half-marathons and marathons to keep muscles fueled.
