What to Eat Before an Evening Workout

4 Steps to Boost Night Time Performance

Bethany Crask, RD, LD, CSSD
Linked In: Bethany Crask
Phone: 859-429-3205

Workouts happen at all different times during the day, including evenings. To optimize evening performace it is important to follow 4 key principles: fuel all day long, include a pre and post workout snack, and find a unique eating schedule that meets your inidivudal needs.

When it comes to fueling your training, sometimes evening workouts can be even harder to fuel for than morning workouts. Especially because a lot of diet culture tends to talk negatively about eating before bed or encourages you to stop eating by a certain time each day. However, avoiding night time fueling after an evening/night workout isn’t “healthy”- it’s underfueling. 

So what should nutrition look like for night time fueling? Well, we apply the same principles as you would if you were fueling your workout first thing in the morning. 

1. How should you eat during the day?

As a reminder, whether you workout in the morning, mid day, or evening, it is important to fuel consistently during the day. This means: 

• Eating at least every 3-4 hours during the day (it may be more frequently than that if you are in a heavier period of training)
• Building meals that have macronutrients from each food group and adding in produce 
• Prioritizing snacks to help top off our energy storages (glycogen) 
• Planning around barriers like school, travel, work, and away games

Just for a quick visual, building your plate as an athlete should follow one of these plates based on your training load:

Although this is a quick outline about fueling during the day, you can read more about creating an eating structure for an athlete’s schedule on our previous blog post, just click here.  

2. When should you eat before your evening workout?

Now this is when evening/night workouts tend to get a little harder to plan for than morning workouts. In the morning, fueling pre-workout is straightforward- eat easy to digest carbs after you wake up and before you exercise. Although we still need to fuel with easy-to-digest carbs for an evening workout, the timing gets a bit harder. When fueling for workouts later in the day, planning becomes the biggest key to success. The main goal is to still eat dinner but consume it at a time when we are least likely to experience GI distress. Then, still consume a pre-workout snack with simple carbohydrates. This looks different for everyone. Below are some examples of pre-workout/dinner timing:

Example 1: 

• 4:30pm Early dinner
• 5:30 pre-workout snack
• 6:00-7:30pm game (with during workout fuel- click here for more info)
• 7:45pm post-workout snack
• 10:00pm bedtime snack (if needed) 

Example 2: 

• 5:30pm Dinner
• 7:00 Pre-workout snack
• 7:00-8:30 practice (with during workout fuel- click here for more info)
• 8:45pm post-workout snack
• 10:30pm bedtime snack (if needed) 

Examples 3: 

• 6:30pm Dinner
• 7:15 Pre-workout snack
• 7:30-9:00pm practice (with during workout fuel- click here for more info)
• 9:15pm Post-workout/bedtime snack

Each of these examples are different, but share the same principles. As you navigate fueling before an evening workout, you may find you need more or less time between dinner and your workout. This is normal and a part of learning what works best for your body. In addition, with time your gut can and will adapt and be able to tolerate food closer to your workout- it just takes a little time to adjust. 

3. How should you fuel after an evening workout?

The main thing to remember about evening and night workouts is that your body still needs fuel to help you recover after exercise, no matter what time of day it is. Whether you are finishing a workout at 6pm or 12pm, your body still needs protein, carbs, and fluid/electrolytes to replenish what was lost.

Here are our top 10 favorite post-workout snacks for nighttime workouts. 

1. 8 ounce glass of chocolate milk
2. One cup of greek yogurt with honey and berries + water
3. Protein shake with a banana
4. Cheese and crackers + sports drink of choice
5. PBJ + sports drink of choice
6. Cottage cheese with crackers + sports drink of choice
7. Energy bites + sports drink of choice
8. Fruit snacks with a beef stick (we love Chomps or Archer brand) + water
9. Toast with peanut butter and sliced bananas on top + sports drink of choice 
10.  Protein bar + fruit of choice + water

4. Reminder: Enlist help making a plan that fits your life

Although these steps outline the basics of fueling surrounding a workout, it is important to remember that everyone is different and nutrition needs differ based on the individual. For assistance creating a fueling plan that meets your needs and lifestyle, reach out to us- we would love to help you! You can email us at info@nutritionatplay.com for more information, or message us on Instagram: @nutrition.at.play