How long after you eat do you run?

cedarhurst2006

I sometimes feel sick when I'm running. Could it be because I eat or don't eat before I run? Is there a basic guideline? Snack or meal, one hour or two before?

kgagnon7779

I sometimes feel sick when I'm running. Could it be because I eat or don't eat before I run? Is there a basic guideline? Snack or meal, one hour or two before?

It's up to you and your comfort - I personally can barely eat a gummy bear within an hour of running without getting cramps. I eat something small like a banana or half a p, b & j about 2 hours before I plan to run. The deal is to get energy from some carbs or protein, so do whatever you can. The key is eating AFTER. You will burn up to 75% more calories if you eat within an hour after a good heart pumping workout.

Gilbrod

If it's a small snack, one hour. If it's a meal, 2 hours.

Bunnyboo82

It really is whatever your body tells you. My fiance can run on the tredmil for 15 mintues after eating a steak. I however, need to wait anywhere from an hour to two hours prior to excercising, depending on how big a meal I eat. I recommend if you are feeling sick, just have something small prior to running, like a hand full of almonds, or a fat free yougurt about an hour or so before your excersise and see how that effects you. Everyone is different so just don't push yourself too hard until you figure out when you can ean and then run. Hope this helps and best of luck!

RedHotRunner

I run first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I get an upset stomach if I eat anything prior to leaving the house. If I have anything, it's only if i'm running over 10 miles and then will have 1/2 a banana or something along those lines.

From what I understand though, it's a personal preference. Go with what makes you feel good.

Schwiggity

It depends on what I eat. I tend to wait at least half an hour if I ate something like a high-glycemic piece of fruit. When I run in the morning, I typically eat a small breakfast about 2-3 hours before my run.

glenr79

generally an hour and a half to two hours.... a bananna and peanutbutter on wheat bread is a very good choice

kslindner

My Personal Trainer told me it's best to eat an hour and a half before doing any kind of workout...

aj_rock

Bah. Food before workouts of any kind kill me.

The problem is that you have to pretty much digest all complex foods before attempting stuff that will test you, at least cardio-wise.

This means complex carbs, protein. Simple carbs are exempt because they digest easily.

What happens is that when you exercise, your body shuts down the lower priority systems. A lot of energy that went into digesting food or running your liver is now powering your heart and lungs. Can't remember the specifics, but for example, your body normally spends about 20% of its energy digesting food, and this drops to like 5% while exercising. So complex foods in your stomach when you start exercising will stay undigested for the duration of your workout. Even worse, your body can try to purge the leftover food, which why some people can get puke-y when they eat too much before exercising.

What can you take away from this? Simple sugars, like gatorade or a juice, is good to go. Eating a subway sandwich an hour before running, not good to go. A slice of bread or something half hour before should give you enough time to digest.