Getting to the gym can be a tough task in itself and we often forget that fuelling up with food is important before a workout.
What you choose to eat is important and it turns out you can do a lot worse than grabbing a banana on the go.
A study published in the Journal of Proteome Research tested 20 male cyclists on their performance. Half of them drank water before cycling 75 meters at high intensity while others had water and pears or bananas.
After the cycle, it was found that the cyclists who had a banana or pear and water had a 50 percent faster recovery time than those who just had water.
Those who had fruit and water also had more energy and were more focused than those who simply drank water.
Speaking about the results, co-author of the study, David Nieman, DrPH, Director of the Appalachian State University Human Performance Laboratory, said: “Many athletes train and race without eating or drinking anything other than water or sports drinks.”
According to Nieman, a banana is the best way to go because it’s the perfect type of sugars that athletes need, including glucose, fructose, and sucrose.
Many sports performance drinks contain this mix of sugars and Nieman says “it’s as if the big companies adopted the banana sugar profile for their products”.
