What to Eat Before Pilates

I am often asked this question, "What should I eat before I come to pilates?" or "I ate before I came, is that ok? I couldn't help it, I was so hungry!". Of course its ok. If you didn't eat anything at all before you came in, I doubt you would have enough energy to be in your best form physically or mentally during the hour.

The question isn't "should I eat?" its "what should I eat?".

In pilates, a lot of the exercises are done laying on your back or on your stomach, so you don't want to eat heavily before you come or else you may experience acid reflux. Try eating about 2 hours before you come to the studio so you really don't have to worry about acid reflux. You want to eat something light, yet filling, with nutritional value and protein, so you stay satisfied during your session.

Generally, less is more as far as how much to eat before your session. Besides experiencing a little heartburn if you eat too much, you may also pass gas during your class if you've eaten to soon before or the wrong food.

Here are some types of food that I recommend you try eating before pilates if you are confused as to what would be good:

-Bananas are perfect. You could eat just one by itself, or slice it over a bowl of cereal.

-Fruit Smoothies are great before a pilates session, they keep your stomach small (so you can connect into your center more easily than if it was full) and you stay satisfied for a few hours.

-Cottage Cheese with fruit is low in acidity and provides energy-giving nutrients.

-Carbs are satisfying, filling, and give you tons of energy. Whole grain English Muffins, cereals, granola bars, or energy bars are good.

-Hummus and cheese in a pita is one of my favorites.

And what not to eat? I think its safe to say that you should avoid foods that create gas, like massive amounts of beans, melon, and dried fruit. Depending on how sensitive you are to acid, you may also want to avoid coffee too soon before coming in. Tomato sauce, yogurt, spicy meats, onions, orange juice, or soup may also be bothersome, causing heartburn.

Ultimately, you really just have to try different things and see what your body likes to eat before coming to pilates.

If you find yourself farting during pilates, it could be because you eat the non-recommended foods above. It could also be due to other things. To read about a reason why you may be farting, check out my post, aptly titled, "Farting in Pilates":
http://headsuponyourbody.blogspot.com/2008/03/farting-during-pilates.html