Workout First Thing in the Morning?

zoe894
zoe894 Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm starting the 21 Day Fix soon, and would like to try to move my workouts to the morning. Problem is I have to take a pill first thing in the morning and shouldn't eat for an hour after taking it. Ideally I could take my pill, workout and shower, and then eat. Do any of you workout on an empty stomach at a fairly high intensity, or is it best to give my body fuel first?

Replies

  • jaimiej77
    jaimiej77 Posts: 1 Member
    I workout on an empty stomach first thing in the am . I go to Crossfit at 6 am so I kind of roll out of bed and go. I have issues with feeling sick when I work out if I have eaten recently so i just drink my post workout supplement and eat a protein bar as soon as I'm finished and it works well for me.
  • raven56706
    raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
    zoe894 wrote: »
    I'm starting the 21 Day Fix soon, and would like to try to move my workouts to the morning. Problem is I have to take a pill first thing in the morning and shouldn't eat for an hour after taking it. Ideally I could take my pill, workout and shower, and then eat. Do any of you workout on an empty stomach at a fairly high intensity, or is it best to give my body fuel first?

    my wife is doing that now. She is in the same thing. She gets up. Works out. And then breakfast and her pill
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    All of my AM workouts, including long runs, are done without eating first.
  • juleszephyr
    juleszephyr Posts: 442 Member
    Absolutely. I get up at 5.45am every morning and workout, then shower and have my breakfast at 7.30am I do both cardio and strength training and find I actually work out better fasted than after a meal when I can sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable.
  • mgajmama
    mgajmama Posts: 14 Member
    I don't always eat before a workout. I just get it in whenever I can. It's usually after my kids have fallen asleep for a nap in the afternoon.
  • LouLouStBijou
    LouLouStBijou Posts: 987 Member
    There is a recent study which shows that exercising in a fasted state is actually very effective. I ride to work each morning so I am doing 30 minutes of cardio before I eat and I generally find that (at my pace anyway) I am fine without food fuel.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    I lift heavy (ish) at 5am on an empty stomach 3x a week. I usually hop in he shower and then make breakfast so it can be done.
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
    I almost never eat before I go to the gym in the morning (around 4:30 a.m.) Once in a while I do feel "peakish" and I'll eat a granola bar before going. I do, however, drink a small cup of coffee before I go to the gym. I come home, shower and then eat breakfast.
  • icck
    icck Posts: 197 Member
    I do this too, most of my workouts are fasted. Not a problem if it works for you. :)
    Often I don't eat until lunch time and it doesn't seem to matter when I work out in the morning, whether 6am or 11am.
  • MaizeyMaizey
    MaizeyMaizey Posts: 7 Member
    edited June 2015
    The biggest concerns about the AM workout, pre-nutrition, is dehydration and the stress on the cardiovascular system due to increased adrenaline, stickier blood (so to speak), and the increased damage to narrowed/constricted blood vessels which then makes them more prone to buildup leading to stroke or heart attack. The fitness experts with medical insight advise hydrating, at the very least, before exertion in the AM.
  • ckspores1018
    ckspores1018 Posts: 168 Member
    I workout in the morning almost exclusively on an empty stomach. Usually, any amount of food gives me stomach trouble so I just wait and eat when I'm done. Never had any issues. If I start running longer distances I'm going to have to work something out but for right now it works fine.
  • Equus5374
    Equus5374 Posts: 462 Member
    I wish I could get into a better routine of working out first thing in the AM. I'm so good at talking myself out of it -- professional procrastinator over here. When I do workout in the AM, I usually just have a nice tall glass of water. I find it harder to work out on a full stomach.
  • VintageFit
    VintageFit Posts: 90 Member
    I prefer going for a run without food in my stomach in the morning - when I run in the evenings after a day of eating I tend to get somewhat sea-sick (at least that's how it feels) or feel the need to burp all the time! :wink:

    I do drink 1-2 glasses of water in the morning before exercising, though...
  • lmlilly
    lmlilly Posts: 22 Member
    I'm at the gym by 4:45 am, my workout is fasted, too.
  • HealthyHappy619
    HealthyHappy619 Posts: 17 Member
    I do cardio for 30-60min 5-6 days a week (ave HR 150ish) before I eat breakfast. No issues so far...
  • blueriotgirl
    blueriotgirl Posts: 151 Member
    I fast to before a workout but i do have at least an 80z glass of water than bring a waterbottle with me to stay hydrated then eat my breakfast after
  • RebeccaD22
    RebeccaD22 Posts: 202 Member
    I wake up at 5am and do an hr long walk, which is about 4 miles. I don't eat before. I get in the shower and eat at about 6:30am.

    Good Luck!
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited June 2015
    I don't know how this 21 day fix works, but anyway. I just switched to doing bodyweight and physio exercises in the morning, after my coffee and before breakfast. I love it, because it seems to switch on my muscles and brain, and I can feel that my muscles are more engaged during the whole day. This is not intense cardio or heavy lifting by any means, though. It's more like a gentle wake-me-up. I put on some upbeat music at a tempo that keeps me at the right pace, that helps get me going.

    I do more intense stuff with bands or cardio in the evening.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    MaizeyMaizey wrote: »
    The biggest concerns about the AM workout, pre-nutrition, is dehydration and the stress on the cardiovascular system due to increased adrenaline, stickier blood (so to speak), and the increased damage to narrowed/constricted blood vessels which then makes them more prone to buildup leading to stroke or heart attack. The fitness experts with medical insight advise hydrating, at the very least, before exertion in the AM.

    Also risk of injury, because people are often clumsy at that hour.
  • Llamapants86
    Llamapants86 Posts: 1,221 Member
    I just have a large glass of water and a scoop of preworkout before I hit my home gym for lifting. Then I eat on my way to work.

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