Exercise question...

before going to the gym should I drink a protein shake?  Will be going right after work, so it will be before dinner.  Not sure if I should or should not eat/drink something before working out.  I eat lunch at 1230, and will be at the gym about 5.  Thanks for the advice :)

It depends on what you plan on doing at the gym.  If you are doing a cardio intense, high calorie burning workout, you may need a boost before a workout so that your blood sugar stays level.  I see you are a few months out, so you may not have blood sugar issues yet...but after about a year, I would get light headed and dizzy when I worked out on an empty stomach.  I now eat 6-7 small meals a day, and always eat something about 30 minutes before a workout. I generally have 1/2 banana, or a few multi grain crackers with hard cheese (like Swiss).  Make sure you eat something that is on your plan if you find that you do indeed need a snack, and make sure you are well hydrated before working out.

If I go 6 hours during the day without a snack or meal, I get light headed, ,so I WOULD have a shake or piece of cheese beforehand...

I would also recommend drinking 8oz of water about a15 minutes beforehand and make sure to drink about 8 oz of water for ever 15 minutes of moderate to intense cardio you do. My doctor recommends 64oz a day, but when you are doing a lot of exercise you need more than that

Hi Lora! I usually eat my lunch around 1pm, get off of work at 5 and am in the gym by 5:15pm. I have an afternoon snack around 4pm so that I'm not starving by the time I get home for dinner around 7. I think a protein shake would be fine. I usually have a piece of string cheese, almonds, or a tbsp of almond butter plus a small amount of fruit (2 oz. of apple or 5 grapes or something like that). I find that I also have a much better workout if I have a little fuel in my body.

I work out early in the morning, and have found that if I do anything intensive, I need to eat something beforehand or I get dizzy/light-headed. So, I generally have a light breakfast, and a small snack about 30 minutes after.

With my schedule - 3 meals and two snacks, I would not do any exercise when it had been more than 3 hours since I ate simply because I know I would need something at that time even if I was not exercising.

Thanks everyone.  Did have a few almonds at about 415, drank some water on the way to the gym and drank 1/2 a protein shake after (heard good to have protein after to keep it working?).  This was my third time to the gym and very proud of myself did 1.9 miles in 40 minutes :)  Felt soooo good! 

The trainers at my gym (it's a university staff gym, they don't sell things) say to have protein within 30 minutes of working out, either before or after. Protein is what we need to repair our cells. 

I have two cheese sticks about 30mins before my workout, and my trainer always asks me to have a shake or something else high in protein within 30mins-1hr after the workout (I do resistance training/lifting and cardio). So I would have something light but high in protein before, and also protein after.