What to Eat While Exercising To Keep Your Energy Levels Up

_{Photo Credit: Istock}Everyone wants to be healthy, fit and in good shape but you may often find it very challenging because you may think that you need to cut back on food drastically to do so. However, giving up on food is not the solution instead altering your food habits can really help. Most workout routines may fail due to a poor diet, excessive exercising or too much dependence on artificial supplements. The key behind a successful routine is to keep your body energized during the workout. To do so, you can often resort to healthy snacking during the workout but only if it lasts for 60 minutes or more.

1. Drink lots of water or load up on juice

Our body needs to be hydrated at regular intervals to keep us going. It will not only increase your body stamina to work more but also help to reduce the body fat faster. You can even resort to beverages like fresh fruit juices or protein chocolate milk to provide you carbohydrates and proteins that release energy.

A bowl of yogurt with fiber-rich fruits like apples, pears and bananas can be a perfect choice for a workout snack since it contains a healthy combination of protein and carbohydrates to give you the required boost.

3. Peanut butter sandwich

Peanut butter is an excellent source of instant energy. It contains monounsaturated fats which are less likely to be stored in the body as fat and is also a source of vitamin E. Just slather some peanut butter on a wholegrain or multigrain bread and you're good to go.

(Also read: What to Eat After a Workout)

_{Peanut butter is an excellent source of instant energy.}

4. An energy bar

An energy bar that is usually had during a long workout is also known as an endurance bar. They have more carbohydrates that focus in sustaining energy. It's easy to make an energy bar with high-carb ingredients like oats, whole grains, dates, raisins and nuts and chomp on it while exercising whenever you feel a slight dip in energy.(Also read: How to Make an Energy Bar at Home)

Every body is different and what suits one might not suit the other. The effect that food will have on your body depends how it reacts within. So, always take proper advice from a fitness trainer who can prepare a customized diet chart for you. Besides that, keep the following tips in mind.

1. Load up on proteins. They help in building muscle mass which prevents the accumulation of fats. Add foods like fish, meat and nuts to your diet. Some like to blend natural protein-rich ingredients into a wholesome milkshake.

2. Include healthy fats in your diet. A certain amount of fat is needed as a fuel for the body. You can derive healthy unsaturated fats from nuts, olive oil and seeds.

3. To keep yourself energized during a long and high intensity workout you should load up on carbohydrates in intervals in half an hour.

Keep these tips handy and you'll soon find yourself acing your fitness routine.