When is it best to eat before training? or should I say, should I exercise on a empty stomach? There’s a few ways to answer this question.
Should I exercise on an empty stomach? To achieve your best, regardless of what you are doing. It needs to be done at the right time. This post is about working out and whether it should be done. Most of us will start our day with a workout.
Now, this will be before breakfast, I’ve been at this point quite a few times and I would like to say I’m very happy to talk about this subject. A workout is unproductive if you can’t improve anything, especially if you’re hungry!
Should I exercise on an empty stomach?
It doesn’t matter if you’re a budding world-class athlete or a total novice. You should have some idea about nutrition. Should i exercise on a empty stomach? Which is what your body needs to be able to perform what you’re asking of it. Now, that being said, it also depends on what you’re trying to achieve? And for what length of time you’re planning to workout for.
To really answer this question safely I need to put a few scenarios in place. To do this I’m going to assume you have a reasonable sleeping and eating plan in place. The reasoning behind this, is that your body is going to be fuelled on what you’ve eaten. Over the last 3 days. So now I’m going to assume you have eaten your last meal at 6pm. Relaxed for a couple of hours and then bed at 9pm.
Understanding your body – the basics to success!
Oops! Just one more thing, you’ve also been exercising the day before. That should do it. Now I have all the ingredients I need. You arise from your sleep at 7am, your body is still groggy. In reality it’s tired from yesterday. But you’ve decided you’re going for a 5k run. The probability is that you’ll finish it and it’ll probably be hard work too. But that’s how we are built, there’s no consideration to what we have just put our body through. We see the end result and that’s it.
Now think of it this way. Would you drive your car without fuel? The answer is going to be no but you would take your body on a run and expect your best. There’s no real advantages to be gained from doing it.
What are the benefits of training on an empty stomach.
Most sportsmen and women know how important protein is to their diet. This is the reason why, protein combined with carbohydrates are the building blocks required to efficiently perform the required repairs.
Can I exercise on an empty stomach in the mornings?
That is your choice. Regardless of what you have, it should be light and you should also allow some time for it to settle. During my competitive days, eating a small nutritious breakfast works wonders. The general guideline is no training for 2 hours after eating. This will minimize the risk of being sick. And allow your body time to digest what you’ve eaten. So, should I exercise on a empty stomach, not really.
Should I exercise on a empty stomach, eat before training?
You should be getting the idea that when asked, should I exercise on an empty stomach? Your answer should really be no. Now, the other side of the coin would be should I eat before training? But because this post is about should I exercise on an empty stomach, I’ll answer that question in another post.
During exercise our body requires more oxygen and a larger flow of blood to our working muscles. If we eat a large meal prior to our workout. Blood is required to the digestive tract to breakdown and absorb the food. This is the process that turns it into energy. While this is taking place any kind of exercise would be counterproductive.
Conclusion to should I exercise on a empty stomach.
What and when we eat is important to our bodies and how it performs. Keeping ourselves fit and healthy is also important but we need to make sure we’re not damaging the vessel we’re trying to keep fit. I had to create a scenario to help me explain briefly how our body handles food. How food plays a vital role during exercise and why we can’t mix the two.
You now have the answer to should I exercise on an empty stomach. Look at your lifestyle and make the right choices. I hope you’ve learned a lot from this post. Thanks for taking the time to read it. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I will answer them as soon as possible.
Happy trails.