The Healthy Eating Plan You Need to Fuel Your Walks, According to a Dietitian

If you’ve increased your walking but aren’t seeing the rewards, you may need to tweak your eating plan. Read on to learn how to fuel up to get the most out of each sweaty step. As with any type of exercise, nutrition plays a key role in turning your steps into noticeable results you can see and feel, such as improved stamina, better immune health, and leaner muscles. 

While there is no one-size-fits-all nutrition plan, here are some ideas on what to eat before, during, and after your walks to keep you on top of your game. As always, you may need to modify these recommendations based on your individual goals and needs.

Pre-Walk Fuel: Energy to Get Started

No matter whether you head out at the crack of dawn or sunset for your trek, you need to fuel your muscles to maximize your workout. It’s smart to aim for simple foods that are easy to digest. Ideally, you can eat a meal or substantial snack an hour before you head out, but even if you just have 10 minutes, grab a nibble before lacing up. 

During the Walk: Staying Hydrated and Energized

You hear it all the time–hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Luckily, there are more options than ever, from bottles (plus accessories) to hydration mixes and tablets. But it really is key to hydrate before any type of workout to help your body regulate its temperature without overheating and cool down without elevating your heart rate. Hydration is also vital for preventing muscle cramps, which can happen when the temps start to rise. That hamstring can also seize up if you’re low in certain electrolytes, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. 

Straight-up tap water is always a great choice and is all you need for a short walk in mild weather, but if you’re headed out for more than an hour, in temperatures hovering around 85 degrees, or in high humidity, you should add electrolytes to your H2O.

Post-Walk Recovery: Refuel and Rebuild

Restoring your body shortly after an intense walking workout is important for muscle recovery. It’s ideal to refuel within about 30 minutes with a combination of carbs, protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Glycogen–your body’s storage form of carbohydrate–is especially vital to replenish. If you don’t take in enough carbs, you may feel sluggish and won’t have anything to burn during your next sweat session. Glycogen isn’t simply a source of fuel during those long strides but also plays a role in helping your muscles recover once you’re home. 

As with recovery from any workout, protein helps your muscles repair after an intense walk or hike. Antioxidant-rich foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, help fight free radical damage that can occur during exercise.

Everyday Nutrition for Walkers: Building a Strong Foundation

It’s easy to think about feeding your muscles when you’re about to head out for a walk, but eating a balanced diet regularly is also essential to support your active lifestyle. 

You’ll want to include meals that have a mix of complex carbs for sustained energy, lean protein for muscle repair and growth, healthy fats for sustained energy and hormone production, as well as micronutrients to support key functions throughout the body, like immune function and bone health.

Here’s where to get these nutrients:

• Complex carbohydrates: brown rice, oats, quinoa, barley, sorghum, whole grain breads, and cereals
• Lean proteins: salmon, tuna, shrimp, tofu, chicken, lean beef
• Healthy fats: extra virgin olive oil, avocado, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, nut butters
• Calcium: Dairy foods, spinach, kale, tofu, figs, almonds, broccoli, sweet potatoes
• Iron: Beef, poultry, seafood, dried apricots, black beans, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, oats, brown rice
• Magnesium: Cashews, pumpkin seeds, beans, avocado, dark chocolate, tofu, prunes
• Potassium: Potatoes, bananas, orange juice, yogurt, kiwi, coconut water
• Vitamin D: Fortified milk and plant milk, wild salmon, tuna, sardines, mushrooms, cheese, egg yolks

The One-Day Walking Meal Plan You Need

If you’re looking for a dietitian’s advice on exactly what to eat, here’s a one-day meal plan you can follow for ultimate balanced energy to support your walking. Note that you may need more (or less) fuel, but this is a basic starting point.

• Breakfast: Overnight oats with raspberries and almond butter
• Snack: An orange + 1 ounce cheddar cheese
• Lunch: Grain bowl made with 1 cup quinoa, roasted vegetables, 1/2 an avocado, and cashew dressing
• Post-walk snack: Homemade trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, dark chocolate chips
• Dinner: Grilled salmon, sauteed broccoli and mushrooms, brown rice
• Snack/dessert: frozen fruit pop + kiwi

Expert Go-To Product Picks for Walking Fuel

While walking can be as challenging as you want to make it, it should make your body feel good and leave you feeling energized as long as you’re properly fueled and hydrated. If you’re feeling sluggish before you’ve hit mile 1 and it’s been more than two hours since your last meal, you likely need a pre-walk snack to fuel those strides. And don’t forget to treat those muscles right once you’ve finished your loop. Getting enough protein is vital for seeing noticeable gains. Here are my go-to products to keep me fueled, hydrated, and challenged on my walks.

Justin’s Classic Almond Butter Squeeze Pack

For the perfect, portable post-walk protein, grab a Justin’s Classic Almond Butter Squeeze Pack with 6 grams of protein. Protein is known to help your muscles recover after hitting the hills.

KIND Protein MAX Sweet & Salty Caramel Peanut Crisp Snack Bar

Serious hikes demand serious fuel and KIND Protein MAX Sweet & Salty Caramel Peanut Crisp Snack Bar satisfies with 20g protein and 10g of fiber.

YETI Yonder

Stanleys might be trendy, but you need a lightweight water bottle if you’re going to get those arms swinging. Grab the 34-ounce YETI Yonder ($28) and start sipping.

Laird Superfood Hydrate

Fill your bottle of choice with water and a stick pack of Laird Superfood Hydrate ($20 for 10 sticks) in Lemon. Coconut water and seaweed provide naturally-derived minerals to keep your muscles happy.