Bananas, crackers, applesauce, smoothies, raisins, dates, juice, and simple bars are good pre-workout snack options to try.
On the no-no list? Large amounts of spicy foods, high-fiber foods, and high-fat foods, says Ansari. It takes a while to digest high-fiber and high-fat foods, so eating them in big quantities too close to a workout i.
Things like sodas and highly processed, sugary granola bars can give you a quick jolt of energy, but then leave you seriously dragging. Depending on the length and intensity of your workout, you may also want to eat during it. Again, this varies person to person, but in general Ansari recommends bringing along a snack for workouts that last more than 45 minutes. In those instances, eating or sipping something simple, like a piece of fruit or an electrolyte drink that contains carbs, can provide the energy boost you need to finish feeling strong.
What foods are best? Go for simple carbohydrates, which help quickly refuel your muscles, and protein, which helps rebuild your muscles, says Raffals. She recommends chocolate milk, as it combines both macronutrients. Other good post workout bets, per Ansari, include: fruit or a bar with a protein shake; Greek yogurt with fruit, granola and toast; a lean protein burger with a bun, avocado, and a side of salad and fruit; and a veggie and quinoa bowl with avocado, a cup of soy milk, and a piece of fruit.
Make sure you hydrate post workout, too. For most people, 1—2 hours is sufficient after a moderate-sized meal, while waiting at least 30 minutes after a snack is fine.
At that point, food has digested enough to avoid stomach upset. That said, as the intensity of the exercise increases, so does the risk of side effects. While it generally takes 2—4 hours to fully digest a meal, waiting 1—2 hours after a moderate-sized meal and 30 minutes after having a snack should be sufficient before exercising to avoid side effects.
When it comes to eating before exercise, meal size and composition play a significant role. The larger the meal you eat, the longer it will take to digest, increasing the amount of time you should wait before exercising. Meals that are higher in fat, protein, and fiber tend to be digested slower than those containing a larger proportion of simple carbs and more processed proteins, such as those found in some protein shakes and supplements.
While the side effects that may result from eating close to a workout are highly individual, the most common ones are digestive symptoms and performance issues. Eating too close to working out may cause some digestive discomforts. The most common ones include 2 , 3 :. Data suggests that endurance athletes like runners and cyclists are at the highest risk of experiencing these side effects due to the nature of their sport 2. Lower intensity sports such as golf, walking, and archery are much less likely to trigger digestive symptoms.
Furthermore, most of these side effects can be avoided by allowing some time for digestion before training. Usually, 1—2 hours is sufficient after a moderate-sized meal, while waiting at least 30 minutes after a snack is fine. While fueling up for an intense training session is important, eating too close to a workout may harm your performance. Athletes and recreational gym-goers often experience a feeling of sluggishness when exercising right after a meal.
A small study in 10 male basketball players found that several of them experienced nausea, belching, and stomach bloating when a protein and carb meal was consumed before training, compared with eating a high carb meal without protein 4.
Some people may experience various side effects when exercising shortly after eating. These include bloating, nausea, cramping, reflux, vomiting, diarrhea, sluggishness, and potentially hindered performance. While data on the specific amount of time you should wait is limited, here are some general recommendations:. Some endurance sports, such as running , cycling, and cross-country skiing, lasting over an hour may require eating while exercising to maintain energy stores.
You may find that you can comfortably train shortly after eating, or on the contrary, you may require waiting several hours to avoid side effects. The length of time you should wait before exercising varies by sport and individual. If you want to burn fat , exercising without eating first seems like the best plan — but the benefits might not continue in the long term.
For endurance-minded folks whose idea of exercise is more along the lines of a marathon, eating before exercising or even midrun could help increase stamina but may also increase the risk of digestive upset. It takes 2 to 3 hours for your stomach to empty the food into your small intestine.
Although complete digestion takes much longer, 1 to 2 hours after a meal and 30 minutes after a snack is long enough for most people to feel comfortable and avoid any digestive issues. What you eat and the intensity of your planned activity affect the wait time.
Your body digests nutrients at different rates. A meal high in fat , fiber , and animal protein will typically break down more slowly than a carb-rich meal. The best plan is to listen to your body, see how you feel, and do what works for you. But if CrossFit is more your thing, you might want to hit pause until 3 hours after your meal. Odds are that doing 50 burpees will make you feel extremely burpy.
Or nauseated. Or worse. If your only available time for exercise is directly after eating, you should probably stick to something gentle like yoga without headstands , walking, or golf. Maybe now is the time to take up archery or competitive rain boot throwing. For some people, weightlifting is a safe activity after eating. If weights are your thing, you can give them a go and see how it works for you. Although the evidence is somewhat rocky, eating the right thing, rather than just any old thing, could help boost the caliber of your workout while minimizing muscle damage.
And some protein will help with tissue repair, because building muscle is hard work and you need to maintain that mass. Its capacity depends on your size and weight, but a typical stomach measures just 13 centimeters wide , 15 centimeters thick, and 10 centimeters high, and it can hold around 1 quart. Not everyone experiences negative effects from eating before a workout. But everyone is different, and you should be aware of the potential for digestive symptoms and less-than-stellar performance if you eat before you exercise.
Studies indicate that 30—50 percent of athletes experience issues like bloating, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Cramping and sluggishness are also possible and can affect performance. Endurance runners are particularly at risk — up to 90 percent experience exercise-related digestive problems. Cyclists are also at particular risk of gut issues because of their position, which increases pressure on the abdomen.
A small study with 10 male participants noted that eating a carb- and protein-rich meal before playing basketball caused gastrointestinal side effects, but the presence of protein reduced muscle damage.
So even though experts typically recommend eating protein and carbs before you work out, you should experiment and see which nutrient combo suits you best. To eat or not to eat before exercising: That is the question.
If you exercise without eating, it could increase the amount of fat your body burns as fuel, but overall, it might not drive a significant loss of body fat.
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