What you eat before exercise can make a big difference in how you feel, perform, and recover. Going into a workout under-fueled can leave you feeling sluggish, make it harder to maintain intensity, and limit the quality of your training. Over time, consistently training without enough energy can also interfere with recovery, immune function, hormones, and overall health.

The good news? Pre-workout fueling doesn’t have to be complicated. The key is matching your fuel to how much time you have before you exercise.