Free guide for people who train
You train hard and you eat well, and something still feels off. Often the missing piece is digestion. Food, shakes and supplements only help once your body can take them in. Here are five signals worth noticing, each with one small change to try this week.
If a session starts with a sloshing, full or bloated stomach, look at what you ate and how long before. Sports nutrition research suggests that high-fiber, high-fat and high-protein foods close to hard exercise are more likely to sit badly, especially for people prone to stomach trouble. 1
Try this week: Move your last full meal a little earlier before your next hard session, and keep the pre-workout snack simple.
Food only helps once your body digests and absorbs it. If your plate looks right but recovery and energy do not follow, digestion is one of the places worth looking, alongside sleep, stress and how much you are eating overall.
Try this week: For one week, note how you feel the day after hard sessions next to what you ate the night before.
Protein shakes, gels, pre-workouts and sugar-free products are easy to stack up. Some contain sugar alcohols or concentrated ingredients that some people find hard on the stomach. More products is not the same as better support.
Try this week: Write down every shake and supplement you take, with the dose. That list is the starting point for a sensible review.
Stomach and gut discomfort during exercise is common among athletes, and a review in Sports Medicine estimated it affects roughly 30 to 50 percent of them. Dehydration can make it worse, and the usual advice is to practice your fueling in training so you learn what your gut tolerates. 2
Try this week: Start your next session well hydrated, and try any new drink or snack on an easy day first.
Training, sleep, stress and digestion pull on each other. A late, heavy dinner can disturb sleep, poor sleep can change what you crave, and a stressed week often shows up in your stomach. The gut is a good place to start because it touches all three.
Try this week: Pick one evening this week to finish dinner two to three hours before bed.
This guide is about everyday habits. If you have stomach pain, blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, a sudden change in your symptoms, or symptoms that keep you from training, talk to your doctor. LifToday does not diagnose or treat medical conditions.
LifToday is a gut-first natural functional medicine consulting practice serving Sugar Land, Pearland and Clear Lake, with virtual sessions available. We work on the digestion and supplement side and leave the training to you and your coach.
A printable copy of this guide by email is coming soon. For now, bookmark this page or share it with your training partner.
This guide was drafted with the help of AI tools and checked against the sources listed above.
The information provided by LifToday is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, medications, or supplements.
Plain-English reading on gut health, food and supplements.
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