According to personal trainer and nutritionist Darin Hulslander, meal timing and whether or not you should eat definitely depends on the type of training being done. | Image courtesy: greatist.com
There are two camps here: those who don’t eat or drink before morning exercise and those who prefer breakfast before a workout. Many in the first group don’t eat to avoid being sidelined with cramps, while the eaters argue their bodies can’t get going without any fuel in the tank. Both are legitimate points.
The Results of Eating and Not Eating Before a Workout
But there’s more to it than personal preference. Research suggests the breakfast skippers are onto something. In a recently published study, researchers recruited men who were overweight but otherwise healthy. The men completed a one-hour workout walking at a moderate pace, once without eating before and another time after eating breakfast two hours earlier.
The guys burned more fat when they skipped breakfast, and the researchers found exercising in that fasted state also had a positive effect on their metabolism. This was a very small study, and more research is needed, but the findings suggest not eating before a workout of 60 minutes or less-or exercising in a fasted state-may be the way to go for fat loss. Via greatist.com
Michael Morelli: Is It Better To Eat Before Or After Your Workout?
(Michael Morelli) A good sign that you aren’t currently eating enough to fuel your workout is if you aren’t able to get through the full workout performing optimally. If you tank partway through, your pre workout fueling is likely to blame. You might also wonder if you’re able exercise in a fasted state.
The answer is yes as long as you can do the workout optimally. Learn your body and know yourself. The type of workout you have planned will likely determine whether you can or cannot do it fastest.
