"What should I eat before and after a workout?" I get this question a lot from busy lawyers who struggle to balance their workload with finding time to exercise. Buying and eating healthy food with such a packed schedule can seem overwhelming.

So let's review a few simple recommendations that have worked for many of my lawyer clients.

How we fuel our bodies affects our performance in the gym, our recovery and results from a workout, and even the microscopic cells that make us what we are. Food is important. And if you're trying to "out exercise" a poor diet (or even a "meh" diet), you're likely running in place. If what you're doing is working for you and you just want to maintain, cool. Keep doing what you're doing.

But if you want to change—lose body fat, gain muscle, get stronger—consider modifying you're pre- and post-workout nutrition first.

Quick caveat: I'm not a doctor. I'm a personal trainer with a nutrition certification. This means I've studied a ton of stuff. I've worked with hundreds of people. I've passed a lot of tests. I have personal, professional and academic experience. But I'm not a nutritionist or dietician. So I never tell people what they "should" or "have" to eat. I simply direct generally healthy people (those without disorders such as diabetes, anorexia, Crohn's or a hypothyroid condition) to credible information, so they can make their own choices with consultation from their doctors and other health care professionals. Make sense?

Most of my clients want to lose body fat or remain lean if they already are. The most important thing for reducing body fat is to achieve a modest caloric deficit of 300 to 500 calories per day. The easiest way I've found to do this is to use a free tool like the MyFitnessPal app to track your food. For most folks, achieving this deficit is more than enough to safely lose body fat over time. All you need to start doing it can be found in my Guide to Getting Lean (free to Law.com readers). This isn't the only path that works. But it's a solid one worth investigating. Here are a few others.

But those people who struggle with tracking their food may need to start with simpler behavior-based suggestions. For those people, I point to the Precision Nutrition Anytime Meal and Post Workout Meal recommendations.

Post-workout meal. Your first meal after an intense workout should be your largest meal of the day with a big serving of protein and lots of vegetables and a little fruit. After an intense workout, your body experiences an increased glucose tolerance, so it's the best time to include a modest portion of starchy carbohydrates. Don't avoid fat altogether but minimize added fat.

Pre-workout or "anytime meal." Your other meals not directly after an intense exercise session should include sensible portions of protein and fat and lots of veggies. Avoid starchy carbohydrates.

For all your meals. Drink plenty of water or tea at both meals and try to avoid processed foods. Often organic fruits and veggies are the better choice if possible. And yes, you can supplement protein with protein powder (including lots of plant-based proteins now available). If you're hitting the weights extra hard and trying to add some muscle you may want to consider a creatine or BCAA supplement.

Good luck!

Jonathan Jordan is a personal trainer, nutrition coach and corporate wellness consultant in San Francisco. Check out his blog JJ Fit 24/7.