i've been eating a banana or half a banana, depending on how hungry i am, last week i sort of shoveled in a whole banana and then felt kind of sick on the elliptical. i also sometimes eat an energy bar (i like the Luna brand).
I eat either low fat string cheese or light yogurt about 45 minutes before. I need something to give me just a bit of an energy boost, but not too much so that it makes me feel weighted down.
I've been struggling with this lately as well. I have gotten into the habit of needing to eat my full meal an hour before I go workout so I can make it through my work out.
I might try a combination of these things to be a preworkout snack so that I'm not feeling weighed down at the gym.
I do normally try to drink a bottle of water about 30 minutes before going as it helps me stay hydrated the entire time.
i usually don't eat anything unless i'm particularly hungry, then will eat an orange on the way to the gym. actually i prefer clementines to oranges. oh, and i peel my oranges all at once and store them in a ziploc in the fridge so i can grab them on the go (also they are better cold imo).