Before working out, you need to give your body the proper fuel. Yes, there are many pre-workout supplements on the market, but the vast majority of them just load your body up with stimulants.

If you take these supplements, you'll find yourself needing bigger and bigger doses until they eventually don't work for you. Then, on days when you aren't taking them, you'll notice your energy levels are substantially lower, and you'll struggle to get through your days without an enormous amount of caffeine.

In addition to that, they're hard on your kidneys, and most aren't good for your long-term health. Sure, they may help you get jacked in the short-term, but is that worth sacrificing your health? It's easy to take your health for granted. But when you find yourself with major health problems, you'll wish you made different decisions.

There's a better solution. That is, feeding your body proper nutrition. Food should be the source of your body's fuel, not stimulant-packed powders.

Chia Seeds

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Chia seeds have long been used as a source of sustained energy. You can put them on or in just about anything. Although they're tiny seeds when dry, but if you put them into a liquid, you'll see them expand to about ten times their original size.

They contain a lot of protein, have healthy fats, and a good amount of fiber. You're not going to get the immediate, obvious boost of energy that you get from something like caffeine, but chia seeds are going to help keep you going for hours. It's rumored that some ancient armies used to eat chia seeds before going into battle due to the provided sustained energy.

I like to eat my chia seeds with greek yogurt and some fruit or with bananas and honey, which leads me to the next food on the list.

Honey

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Registered dietician and Kansas City Royals team nutritionist says:

Honey is composed of a unique carbohydrate composition of natural sugars and trace amounts of antioxidants, enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids, making it a smart, natural energy-filled afternoon snack. In fact, for years, sports dietitians have recommended that athletes include pure honey into their pre-exercise meal or snack for that very reason.

I've found that honey provides me with faster energy than chia seeds and they work great in combination with one another. However, eating nothing but chia seeds and honey is a little weird and messy, which leads me to the third food on my list.

Bananas

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Bananas are the third and final food on this list for pre-workout energy. I like to combine the three for a powerful pre-workout snack.

I put two bananas on a plate, drizzle raw honey over the top of them, and put a pile of chia seeds on the side of the plate. Both the honey and the seeds will easily stick to your slices of banana.

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Before your next workout, combine these three energy-packed foods for a powerful boost of energy.

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