Prepare, Perform, Recover: Fueling Your Fitness Through Every Stage

Let's delve into the science of performance nutrition and guide you on the journey of optimizing your workouts. Whether you're a pro athlete, a fitness enthusiast, or someone looking to elevate their exercise routine, we've got you covered. In this post, we'll explore the three crucial stages of fueling your body with Honey Stinger: Prepare, Perform, and Recover. Discover the ideal carbohydrate-rich options to kickstart your activity, the convenient fuel sources to sustain your energy mid-performance, and the optimized recovery products that will help recharge your muscles after a workout. Get ready to take your fitness game to the next level!

Prepare

Preparing to train or for a race requires more than putting in miles; it also includes your daily nutrition. As an active person, you should prioritize quality calories that provide your body with the protein, carbohydrates, fats, and other nutrients that you need to sustain your training and recovery. If you aren't already planning your weekly nutrition goals to meet your lifestyle, we highly recommend doing so ASAP. There are plenty of online tools that can help and certified nutritionists who can guide you along the way.

Even with a good, daily nutrition plan, do you know what kinds of foods you should eat to fuel your body before a workout? Ideally, you should look for foods that are easy to digest and offer readily available energy for your workout. Simple, accessible carbohydrates are a great way to meet this need. Some of our favorite foods to eat before workouts include:

• Graham crackers
• Dried fruit
• Honey Stinger Waffles
• Oat + Honey Bars (the chocolate chip flavor is our favorite!)

These foods have essential carbohydrates that your body can use to kickstart and sustain your fitness efforts, and it's best to consume them 30-60 minutes before your workout. The Honey Stinger Waffles are made from whole ingredients with a sweet honey taste. The energy in the waffles  is released immediately and absorbed at a steady rate, which delays muscle fatigue and gives your body the power to achieve your goals. The Oat + Honey Bars are a blend of freshly ground peanuts, oats, and golden honey mixed together. This tasty mixture is then wrapped in a creamy caramel and rolled in toasted granola to give you a flavorful start to your workout. The perfect blend of carbs, fats, and protein to fill you up without weighing you down.

Find a snack or two that works for you and keep a stash of them in your car, gym bag, or by your morning coffee station so that they're always available before your workout. 

Perform

Once your body is warmed up and moving, you may need a little extra boost to get through the end of your workout session. If you're putting in long hours in the weight room or getting in a long run over the weekend, you don't want to "hit a wall" halfway through your workout. That's no fun for anyone. 

Again, readily accessible fuel sources are key during this performance period. You don't want to bog your body down with complex foods that sit like a brick in your gut — we're not trying to get sick here! 

In addition to having readily accessible energy, these mid-performance foods should also be portable and easy to consume on-the-go. Many runners opt for energy gels or chews, but some also like snacks that are more "food-like." If you're choosing from Honey Stinger products, the best foods for the job are the Waffles, Gels, and Chews.

The Waffles come in three original flavors, and three gluten-free options. And there are four flavors of gels and seven flavors of chews. Some of the gel and chew options are even caffeinated for a little extra energy boost.

Recover

Like your pre-workout foods, which should be consumed 30-60 minutes before a workout, your recovery nutrition should be consumed 30-60 minutes after your workout. Consuming nutrient rich calories during this period give your body the best opportunity to use the energy and nutrients that it needs to replenish after a workout. 

After working your muscles, you'll want to refuel with protein-rich foods. Because you should refuel within 30-60 minutes after exercise, it's good to have accessible options available. Whether you mix up a protein shake, grab a protein bar, or some other option, a good recovery snack is a welcome treat for a tired body.

Honey Stinger has two bar options that are ideal for recovery: a traditional protein bar and the Nut + Seed Bar. The Nut + Seed Bar has 14 grams of protein and comes in two satisfying flavors — Almond Pumpkin and Peanut Sunflower.

With the right nutrition, you can enhance and improve your athletic performance whether your focus is on getting stronger, building your endurance, or something else. These aren't "quick fix" solutions; in fact, these nutrition habits are meant to fuel you through different seasons of your life. Your food needs may change, but good habits are lasting. Discover which foods help you Prepare, Perform, and Recover best so that you can achieve your fitness and lifestyle goals. Happy snacking!