Morning Exercisers - Do you eat first?

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  • lemonwater1
    lemonwater1 Posts: 72 Member
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    I wake up at 5:05 AM and workout before the crazy ness of work and kids begins. I eat breakfast afterward.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
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    It really depends on the workout for me. If it's a short run I might just have some oj. But if I'm doing a long hike then I'm gonna eat something like overnight oats.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    I eat a small snack if I'm going to be working out for more than about 30 minutes. This isn't really a "method"; it's just the point at which I start feeling bad if I haven't eaten. Ultimately, what--if anything--you choose to eat before a workout is personal preference, so it depends on your definition of "success" and what works best for your body.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    I drink a glass of water beforehand and that carries me through my workout. I usually don't eat anything until hours later when I start getting hungry.

    My early morning workouts aren't intense or long however.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
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    I go to the gym at 5am a few days a week and have a protein bar on the way. Afterward, I drink a protein shake, and then coffee, oatmeal and yogurt (with a half scoop of protein powder added) later in the morning
  • garystrickland357
    garystrickland357 Posts: 598 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I'm good for up to maybe 20 minutes, at medium high intensity, fasted (common example: 2 x (10 minutes on, 2 minutes off) on the rowing machine at HR up to about 80% HR reserve). It's a bit of a struggle, and I kinda hate it, but I can do it. Longer at low intensity (brisk walk, maybe 3.5-4mph, for an hour, say) is OK.

    Longer duration intervals or moderately-high steady state (spin class, on-water rowing) is a no-go. I'll crash and burn energy-wise, and have a cr*p workout. Then I'll go home and want to eat all the foods, especially (for some reason) bananas. Bad.

    Fortunately, I have the digestive system of a peasant, so I can eat and go hard only minutes later, without the slightest sign of digestive distress. I usually have some kefir, some hot milk, and something (big cracker-y thing called a pop cake, or an Ezekiel pita) with peanut butter on it, 400-500 calories, 24-30g protein. Perfect.

    Other people work out fine fasted, and/or get an upset stomach if they eat.

    All of this stuff is very personal. I'd recommend trying it, and seeing what works best for you.

    I laughed at that characterization. I'm much the same way. I mostly run and cycle and my workouts tend to be an hour to three hours long - so I have to eat. I'll be really careful if I'm going to be doing something of high intensity. In that case I'll try to be sure I ate 45 minutes or an hour earlier.
  • JustaJoe00
    JustaJoe00 Posts: 777 Member
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    Jealous of your Peloton! I like morning workouts and have found doing it on an empty stomach works for me. Just a drink of water and go!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    It depends on the length of the workout. If I'm riding an hour or so I'll just have my coffee and then do the workout, if it's 2 hours or longer I'll have a banana before and then a bottle of Gu Roctane (250 cal) during the ride. Same with running, 10km or under coffee & go, longer I'll eat a banana first and (if it's over 15 km) take a gel or two.
  • PennyP312
    PennyP312 Posts: 161 Member
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    For my 545am week day workout I pop a caffeine pill.
    On weekends, workouts between 8 and 10 am I’ll have a protein shake or banana if I’m feeling hungry before I go
    (for straight cardio workouts I can’t eat anything or I get cramps)

    Once I eat, I’m hungry allll day. I like to put that off if I can!
    Experiment with what works for you depending on your workout.

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