Why I Never Recommend Pre-Workout Drinks
So you made all these big fitness goals and decided to start eating better so you assume you need to start drinking pre-workout and protein shakes in order to see results and feel good. This is the biggest misconception in the fitness world. You can certainly get fit and be healthy without using pre-workout and protein shakes! And I actually recommend you use neither.
One of the most asked questions I get is, "what do you use for pre-workout?” or "what is a good pre-workout?”- my answer, I will never use a pre-workout and I don’t recommend you do either. I know, that’s a pretty direct response. So why don’t I recommend pre-workouts?
Pre-workouts are synthetic and ULTRA- PROCESSED. How many times have you seen an influencer talk about this “amazing” pre-workout that tastes like fruit loops. DUH. If anything is flavored to taste like fruit loops, that is a red flag!
Here are a few ingredients found in pre-workouts:
✖️Sucralose and other artificial sweeteners: these are DESTROYING your gut
✖️Red #40 or other artificial dyes: these are man-made chemicals and extremely toxic
✖️Maltodextrin: another gut destroyer
✖️Natural flavors: god knows what these are derived from, usually GMO corn or soy, another wonderful gut destroyer
✖️Caffeine: while caffeine is fine in small doses, these pre-workouts are JAM packed with caffeine, talk about adrenal fatigue, high blood pressure and hormone disruption
Not only are all these ingredients putting stress on the body and our digestive system, pre-workouts encourage us to push our bodies to their extreme. We lose our innate ability for our bodies to tell us when we are tired and we need to stop. Overdoing it at the gym leads to a spike in cortisol, our stress hormone, which can actually cause our bodies to hold onto weight, give us anxiety and leaves us feeling tired and wired, among other symptoms. When your body doesn’t want to crank out a weight lifting session, listen, and go for a walk or a short hike in nature.
You still want that boost but not sure what to do? In my opinion, if you are feeing too tired or not motivated to workout, then don’t workout. You shouldn’t need a stimulant to get a workout in. Move in a way that you enjoy and makes you feel good without needing that extra boost.
But if you are still needing some motivation to get your ass off the couch, I get it! Some things you can try instead:
1. Work on getting enough sleep at night so you don’t need a stimulant to get you moving (you can download my 10 tips to get better sleep tonight guide).
2. A small cup of coffee.
3. Green tea.
4. Cordycep mushroom tea.
5. Old fashioned water with some pink himalayan salt.
Rather than focusing on taking a pre-workout to get energy, EAT REAL FOOD before and after your workout! Never underestimate the powers of real food! It will be the best most natural way to keep your energy up and recover quickly.