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Pro Tips from Our Gym in Durham: The BEST Foods to Eat Before Working Out

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Last week we covered everything NOT to eat before getting your workout in and today, we’re sharing all the goods! Today’s article shares what celebrity trainer, Phillip Goglia considers to be the best pre-workout snack as well as other healthy options.

As always, if you’re loving this series and feel inspired to reboot your fitness and diet plan, come chat with our Durham personal trainers to get started on a healthier you!

We hope you Durham fitness lovers enjoy this article! And as always, thank you Dr. Goglia for your excellent insight!


The “YES” Pre-Workout Food List:

  • Raw Seeds: Raw seeds off a great source of fat as an energy source pre-workout. If the husks of the seeds do not adversely affect your digestion then they can be a great pre-workout choice. Make sure to consume between 100 and 150 calories of seeds before workout and give your body about 20 min to digest them. It is even better if the seeds are nuts like 12 almonds or almond butter 100 c mixed with 1 fruit portion. The sugar and fat combination will be extremely energizing and sustainable for a workout of 90 minutes or less. Try the nuts or nut butters with an apple… YUM!
  • Hummus and/or Bean Dips : Bean dip and hummus are sugar based with added oils. If you are not gastrically sensitive to that combination then the use of 1 tbsp 100 – 120 c before a workout can be energy sustaining. There are many benefits to beans as long as they have been soaked prior to cooking to release the mold from them. If not soaked you run the risk of consuming a high mold food that can lead to inflammation and reduction of oxygen consumption. Generally speaking, because the bean does take considerable preparation and the risk of molds. Most athletes distance themselves from consistent bean use and only using them intermittently and sparing unless on a vegetarian or vegan program

How does what you eat affect your energy level/ability to exercise?

Foods prior to exercise should be strategically consumed based on the time spent exercising and the type of exercise, ie. weights vs endurance or aerobic sport. The wrong foods or hydration choose will greatly reduce your training intensity and your results

Anything else you think is important to add to this article?

There are so many pre-training foods to choose from on the market! I say keep it simple and basic! A pre-training, 90 min or less, low-glycemic meal should be approx 200 calories with a fairly even split of sugar and fat, providing sustainable even energy.  All of my athletes either use a bonk breaker bar or they keep it even simpler : 1 fruit with 1 tbsp of almond butter. Again, keep it simple — no fake science!


Meet Dr. Philip Goglia
President & Founder of Performance Fitness Concepts

Dr. Philip Goglia  has been a certified nutritionist for over 30 years and holds a PhD in Nutritional Science in addition to being a graduate of Duke University, The American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. His nutritional expertise is fully measurable, with the proven ability to take all of his clients and athletes to the highest level of their performance and competitive abilities. He has a pedigree of athletic history himself as a high school and collegiate All-American wrestler, a storied 12 year history as a rugby player, a Mr. North America bodybuilding champion, and a Grand-Am motorsports race car driver.

Dr. Goglia’s bestselling book, “Turn up the Heat – Unlock the Fat Burning Power of Your Metabolism” is an acclaimed “Best Seller” and was featured on E! Entertainment, CNN, People Magazine, In Touch, Life and Style, In style, Men’s Fitness and Vogue. He is the official nutritional consultant for the Dr. Phil show and The Doctors television shows, and was the nutritionist for Jennifer Grey, for her season 11 win on Dancing with the Stars (and the oldest winner).

Having been a three time cancer survivor and once told that he would never walk correctly again or play a sport, he fully understands the commitment it takes to emotionally and physically take a stand for health and well-being. Daily, he supports his clients to overcome their wellness obstacles through the use of his years of education, life experience and wisdom.


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Pro-Tips from Our Private Gym in Durham: The WORST Foods to Eat Before Working Out

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We are continuing our fantastic series with famed personal trainer Phillip Goglia! We have disussed proper hydration, diet, and overall fitness! Today we are taking nutrition one step further and reviewing foods NOT to eat before you workout! If you’re loving this series and feel inspired to reboot your fitness and diet plan, come chat with our Durham personal trainers to get started on a healthier you!

We hope you Durham fitness lovers enjoy this article! And as always, thank you Dr. Goglia for your excellent insight!


The ‘NO” Pre-Workout Food List:

  1. Leafy Greens : prior to workout leafy greens will create the risk of abdominal distention, gas, and bloating. Greens are a great source of minerals and antioxidants, but are primarily useful for digestion and NOT as an energizing pre-workout meal
  2. Chocolate Milk : Prior to working out, the use of dairy and its sugars – maltose and lactose – will cause bloating and digestive discomfort. Additionally the sugars found in dairy are inflammatory and mucus producing. In fact, they inhibit the full use of our oxygen pathways. This is why when you speak to athletes and ask them about their dairy consumption, they will all tell you that they do not consume any dairy pre or post-workout as it is like eating moderately hard phlegm. Most of all, dairy can contribute to elevated triglyceride levels and inflammation.
  3. Whole Grain Breads and Muffins: Stay away from carbohydrates that are yeast mold and gluten bound. They are inflammatory, water retentive, and ultimately inflammatory. They provide energy obviously as they are a sugar — but the side effects far out weigh the benefit of sugar energy as a pre-workout meal.
  4. Last night’s Pad Thai: The convenient but bad pre-workout move. These heavy foods lots of digestion time and will hinder workout intensity and fat utilization. Mostly it will set you up for a nap rather than a workout!
  5. Sports Drinks: NOT prior to a workout. Many of these sports drinks are high sodium and sugar and contain caffeine, all of which will cause digestive discomfort and a type of energy that will be “spikey” at best. These sports drinks over load our cells with electrolytes prior to depletion — at which point your body will have difficulty establishing a sweat rate and its ability to manage an appropriate temperature while training. The result will be poor performance during your workout
  6. Protein Bars: There is NO such thing as a protein bar — Does your PROTEIN bar taste like salmon – chicken – steak ? Doubtful!  Chances are your favorite protein bar has some kind of low grade protein in it. If you must choose to use a pre-workout bar make sure it is one that offers up honest marketing that is a health 50 / 50 split of sugar and fat to be used for sustainable workout energy — examples are a bonk breaker bar. This is my favorite choice and the choice of cyclists and multi sport athletes. The other OK choices are a KIND bar or CLIFF bar – all solid choices.
  7. No foods with saturated fats that require long digestive periods

How does what you eat affect your energy level/ability to exercise?

Foods prior to exercise should be strategically consumed based on the time spent exercising and the type of exercise, ie. weights vs endurance or aerobic sport. The wrong foods or hydration choose will greatly reduce your training intensity and your results

Anything else you think is important to add to this article?

There are so many pre-training foods to choose from on the market! I say keep it simple and basic! A pre-training, 90 min or less, low-glycemic meal should be approx 200 calories with a fairly even split of sugar and fat, providing sustainable even energy.  All of my athletes either use a bonk breaker bar or they keep it even simpler : 1 fruit with 1 tbsp of almond butter. Again, keep it simple — no fake science!


Meet Dr. Philip Goglia
President & Founder of Performance Fitness Concepts

Dr. Philip Goglia  has been a certified nutritionist for over 30 years and holds a PhD in Nutritional Science in addition to being a graduate of Duke University, The American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. His nutritional expertise is fully measurable, with the proven ability to take all of his clients and athletes to the highest level of their performance and competitive abilities. He has a pedigree of athletic history himself as a high school and collegiate All-American wrestler, a storied 12 year history as a rugby player, a Mr. North America bodybuilding champion, and a Grand-Am motorsports race car driver.

Dr. Goglia’s bestselling book, “Turn up the Heat – Unlock the Fat Burning Power of Your Metabolism” is an acclaimed “Best Seller” and was featured on E! Entertainment, CNN, People Magazine, In Touch, Life and Style, In style, Men’s Fitness and Vogue. He is the official nutritional consultant for the Dr. Phil show and The Doctors television shows, and was the nutritionist for Jennifer Grey, for her season 11 win on Dancing with the Stars (and the oldest winner).

Having been a three time cancer survivor and once told that he would never walk correctly again or play a sport, he fully understands the commitment it takes to emotionally and physically take a stand for health and well-being. Daily, he supports his clients to overcome their wellness obstacles through the use of his years of education, life experience and wisdom.


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Pro Tips from Our Private Gym in Durham: All About Hydration with Dr. Phillip Goglia

We’re catching up with famed personal trainer, Phillip Goglia, again to hear all about his thoughts on proper hydration!. Keep reading to learn about this celebrity trainer’s top hydration tips! We hope you enjoy these fantastic tips!

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Can you explain the process in which your body reacts to drinking a beverage before/during/and after a work out?

Before and during a workout your body will use fluids to support electrolyte balance – energy pattern stability – stabilize the transport of nutrients and toxins – support muscular tonus and range of motion – extension and contraction of the muscle – proper temperature regulation – cognitive focus – and reduce the possibility of cramping. After a workout, beverages are used for the replenishment of electrolyte balance – the movement of nutrients and toxins through your system – temperature regulation – cognitive focus.

What are the WORST beverages to drink before a workout?

  • Dairy; phlegm producing it will inhibit oxygen utilization adversely affect digestion produce gas and bloating and possible abdominal cramping
  • Highly caffeinated beverages and or energy drinks with caffeine and taurine combinations; caffeine can over stimulate your central nervous system and cause stress related anxiety while training as well caffeine is a diuretic and a nutrient that generates heat, at which point you risk elevated heart rate shortness of breath and dehydration. Caffeine also expedites the shuttling of sugar to your muscle cells, at which point you will use glycogen at a faster rate and risk losing energy during a workout. This is why endurance athletes use caffeine at the end of their workouts not at the beginning.
  • Alcohol; drinking and working out will empire judgment and balance and hydration. It’s never a good idea to drink and train
  • Electrolyte drinks; electrolyte drinks consumed before a work out adversely affect sweat rate. The result is a cell that is over loaded with electrolytes and is essentially out of balance enough to adversely affect sweating and sweat rate and temperature control
  • Protein shakes; protein should be used post workout to promote an Anabolic event for tissue repair
  • Fermented energy drinks like kambucha; this drink is essentially known for its probiotic benefits – it is not a drink that supplies adequate hydration or energy. Fermented drinks like kambucha also contain a percentage of alcohol that will disrupt training focus balance hydration strength and temperature control

What drink should you reach for instead?

Keep it simple water is the best beverage before and during a workout after establishing a sweat rate with water that provides a temperature pattern sufficient enough to manage correct range of motion and strength then an electrolyte replacement mix can be used… the best available are powders manufactured by bonk breaker and scratch labs. Prior to an extended workout if energy is a concern, the metabolic sugars d-ribose and l-glutamine may be added to water with cinnamon and calcium magnesium and zinc to support endurance capacity and muscular range of motion. If oxygen utilization is a concern, beet extract may be added and as well cordyceps and rhodiola as adaptagens.

How does what you drink affect your energy level and ability to exercise?

Your hydration strategy can ruin a workout or support energy patterns – muscular strength and endurance – heart rate pattern – cognitive focus – muscular tonus – central nervous system stress management. Don’t be fooled by products that are marketed for energy and endurance

Are there any studies you know of about working out + drinking certain items? 

Numerous studies have been performed using cyclists triathletes and marathoners to determine the best benefits of hydration strategies

Anything else you think is important to add to this article? 

Drink your water!


Meet Dr. Philip Goglia
President & Founder of Performance Fitness Concepts
Dr. Philip Goglia  has been a certified nutritionist for over 30 years and holds a PhD in Nutritional Science in addition to being a graduate of Duke University, The American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. His nutritional expertise is fully measurable, with the proven ability to take all of his clients and athletes to the highest level of their performance and competitive abilities. He has a pedigree of athletic history himself as a high school and collegiate All-American wrestler, a storied 12 year history as a rugby player, a Mr. North America bodybuilding champion, and a Grand-Am motorsports race car driver.Dr. Goglia’s bestselling book, “Turn up the Heat – Unlock the Fat Burning Power of Your Metabolism” is an acclaimed “Best Seller” and was featured on E! Entertainment, CNN, People Magazine, In Touch, Life and Style, In style, Men’s Fitness and Vogue. He is the official nutritional consultant for the Dr. Phil show and The Doctors television shows, and was the nutritionist for Jennifer Grey, for her season 11 win on Dancing with the Stars (and the oldest winner). Having been a three time cancer survivor and once told that he would never walk correctly again or play a sport, he fully understands the commitment it takes to emotionally and physically take a stand for health and well-being. Daily, he supports his clients to overcome their wellness obstacles through the use of his years of education, life experience and wisdom.

The Method Blog
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