pre-workout food is honestly more personal than people think

Right so I've been asked about this a fair bit lately — what to eat before training — and I keep giving the same answer: it depends, which I know is the least satisfying thing to hear. But genuinely, it does. Timing matters a lot here. If you're eating an hour or less before a session, you want something light and fast-digesting — a ripe banana, a small bowl of porridge, maybe some rice cakes with a thin scrape of nut butter. Not much fat, not much fibre, because both slow gastric emptying and you'll feel it on the run or in the gym, trust me. If you've got 2–3 hours, you can be more relaxed about it — a proper meal with some protein and complex carbs does the job well. Nutritionally speaking, carbohydrates are still your main fuel for most kinds of training, particularly anything moderate to high intensity. Protein pre-workout is useful but not as critical as people make out — the post-workout window matters more for muscle protein synthesis, though having some beforehand doesn't hurt. Fat and fibre are the ones to watch if you're prone to GI issues during exercise. The thing I see come up a lot with clients is either training completely fasted (fine for some people, genuinely not fine for others) or eating something too heavy too close to a session and then wondering why they feel sluggish. Neither is a moral failing, it's just figuring out what works for your body and your schedule. I'll be honest, I'm still adjusting mine. Morning hikes in the Mendips are different to an evening gym session and I haven't fully nailed the evening one yet — I either eat too early and I'm flagging by the end or I eat too close and regret it. Work in progress.