Do you run to eat or eat to run? A few years ago, I did the Bolder Boulder 10K. The race goodie bag was a lunch bag with the slogan “Run to Eat” emblazoned upon it.

Many athletes believe that because they exercise they can eat anything they want, yet their performance likely suffers more than they think.

How many great athletes out there could be even better if they paid more attention to their nutrition? How many of you weekend warriors could take your performance up a notch and feel better if you just focused a little more on nutrition.

Athletes today are now inundated with sports nutrition products, many of which are no better than glorified candy bars and soda pop or Kool-Aid. The reality is that most of us don’t need these products on a day-to-day basis and need even less than we think on longer training days.

For a workout of 30 to 45 minutes, the body does not need any additional calories. In fact, the calories that you do burn make up for our otherwise sedentary lifestyles. Time Magazine published a controversial article titled “Why Exercise Won’t Make you Thin.” It described why many exercisers do not lose weight. While I agree with the writer of the article, John Cloud, that exercise alone does not always lead to weight loss, I think he failed to consider how some basic changes to eating habits can help people manage their weight and still get the heart-healthy advantages of an exercise program.

Cloud discusses the issue of compensation where exercisers eat more calories than their workout burned or where after exercising they were more sedentary – justifying both behaviors by their earlier workout. Let’s face it, who hasn’t stopped by the store for a cookie or candy bar after a long workout or even a not-so-long one for that matter. But there are some ways to combat the post-workout munchies if you follow these tips.

>Immediately after exercise, your appetite may be suppressed. If your workout was less than 45 minutes to an hour, simply drink a glass of water to help rehydrate. For workouts of at least an hour or more, you should consume a small snack within an hour of exercise. This snack should consist of 200 to 400 calories of mostly carbohydrates with some protein and limited fat. This meal should be consumed within an hour of exercise and ideally within 20 to 30 minutes, as it will not only stave off the post-workout munchies but is also essential for replacing muscle glycogen stores.

>Throughout the day, stay away from refined carbohydrates. If you absolutely must have that cookie, try limiting those snacks to your post-workout window – but again, only after a workout of at least 60 minutes in duration.

>Even better, try a piece of fruit or fruit smoothie to satisfy your sweet tooth. You’ll get the benefits of glycogen replacing sugars that stimulate insulin production, which helps replace your glycogen stores and real nutrients to boot.

With a little bit of planning and mindfulness of your eating habits, your nutrition can help you take your performance to the next level. Just don’t let that workout falsely convince you that an extra slice of pizza, cookie or beer won’t matter because you exercised that day.