To Eat or Not To Eat... Before Exercise

In today’s fast paced world, I get asked this questions on a regular basis, “Should I eat before I work out?” A lot of people are unsure if they should eat before they exercise or wait until after. Then there is the idea of “Fasted” workouts and it just adds to the confusion. I like to keep things simple and not overcomplicate them with myself or my clients. With my private and group clients I like to give them one of three recommendations:

- If you are hungry and have time to eat, then eat! 

Eating before a workout (especially carbs) will give you some extra energy to really crush your workout and get the most out of it. Just make sure to give yourself enough time for the food to digest so you aren’t left with a bloated stomach while trying to exercise.

- You don’t really have time to let a full meal digest, but you need a little energy boost.

   In this case go for some easy fruit or a shake. The simple sugars will give you a nice little boost along with the vitamins and minerals. This will allow you to have some extra energy without feeling full.

- You work out super early in the morning and even a small serving of fruit or a shake is just too much for your stomach to handle. 

In this case don’t eat. Your body has stored nutrients for energy already available for you to use. You will be okay. You might not have that extra little energy spark, but you won’t have a full stomach slowing you down. Just make sure to replenish with some food after the workout.

The big picture to look at on whether or not you should eat prior to a workout is if you have the time to eat and digest before starting your workout. Yes, eating will give you some extra energy to really crush your workout, but a full stomach is going to slow you down much more than an empty stomach.