NUTRITION TIMING
Along with just consuming the correct amount and types of foods, there are more specific nutrition strategies that can help maximize the effectiveness of your sports training. The following are some guidelines for the timing of your intake throughout the day and relative to your workout.

First, it is better to eat several smaller meals throughout the day than three big meals. Spreading your intake out will help your body maintain stable levels of things like blood sugar, vitamins, minerals, available protein, etc... It also allows the digestive system to do a better job of absorbing those things from your food. If the digestive organs have to plow through a ton of food at once, the valuable components in the food will not be harvested as well. Part of spreading your meals out is being sure to eat breakfast. Along with the fact that you haven't eaten the whole time you were sleeping, your body has been busy recovering, strengthening, and renewing all through the night. Those things burn energy. You need to give your body fuel in the morning.

Secondly, do not eat a full meal right before your workout. This is basic physiology. The body restricts blood flow where it is not needed and increases it where it is needed. When you eat, blood is sent to the digestive tract for the process of breaking down food. Blood flow is thus reduced in other areas. This is why people often feel very tired after a big meal. In the same way, when you exercise blood is sent to the skeletal muscles, among other things. If you try to do intense exercise following a meal, your body is faced with two large demands for blood flow. As you begin to exercise, you will likely feel very tired right away. If you persist and exercise hard enough, you may throw up, or you may simply not digest your food very well. Either way, it's no good.

Third, although you should not have a full stomach going into your training session, you also do not want to be hungry. Glycogen is a substance that your body produces using food you eat. It is the most efficient source of energy. There is glycogen stored in muscles to be used for energy. If you have not eaten for a long time, your glycogen stores will likely be depleted. If you begin working out with a low glycogen supply, it may run out. In which case, you will be less capable during your workout, because your most efficient energy source is gone. Also, the body will switch to breaking down protein for fuel. And if there is not protein readily available (which is likely since you haven't eaten) your body will actually break down muscle tissue to get energy. This is referred to as catabolism or muscle wasting. Whatever you call it, it's very bad for an athlete. With that in mind, do not wake up in the morning and try to do intense exercise having not eaten for several hours. And don't go exercise after a full day of work with only a small lunch. Basically, you don't want to still be feeling food in your stomach, but you don't want to be hungry. If you have to work out in the morning, get a small meal of primarily carbs beforehand. Protein and fat take longer to break down. Also, a small dose of carbs in the middle of your workout is not a bad idea; it can be quickly broken down and help sustain the glycogen stores in the muscles. Mid-workout is one time when candy or cookies are acceptable. These foods are made of simple sugars, which can be broken down faster than anything to serve as the quickest source of energy. Sports drinks like Gatorade also fill this need along with aiding hydration.

Lastly, your post-workout consumption is very important. Following your workout, your body will be in an anabolic (muscle-building) hormonal state. That is a good thing; you want to keep your body that way for as long as you can. What you need to do is restore the glycogen supply in your muscles. This is done with carbohydrates. At the same time you also want to make protein readily available for use in repairing the things that you damaged or stressed in your workout. Milk has a good carbohydrate:protein ratio for post-exercise consumption. A typical protein shake will also fill this need. This consumption should be immediately after your workout. Soon after that should be a full meal that includes a lot of lean protein as well as carbs. The body will be primed for absorption following your workout, so that is the best time to ingest a lot of healthy food.