Exercising before breakfast

BigChangeNeeded · January 2016

Hi All

I know this is probably a bit of a noob question, but I was wondering if anyone here found any benefit, either physically or mentally, from exercising before their breakfast.

The reason I ask is that my time is quite limited at the moment, and I don't tend to eat breakfast until I get to work (3 hours-ish after I get up) as I have IBS and that can sometimes make it difficult for me to eat so early. I could, however, get some time in the morning to work out, even if its just 15 or 20 minutes aerobics.

At the mo, I'm in the morbidly obese category, and know I need to get into a routine of exercise to stick with it. I'm still relatively active for my weight, so I am capable of doing exercise, I've just been too lazy in the past.
Is it simply the case that any exercise at any time of the day is worth it?

jemhh · January 2016

Your final sentence/question sums it up. Any exercise at any time of day is a good thing. Details like meal timing and fasted/non-fasted exercise are best based on personal preference.

kiela64 · January 2016

I found before breakfast to be a good time to do a small workout. I can't do anything like running/swimming/long walking on an empty stomach but 20-30min of yoga with some water is pretty doable. Anything more cardio-intensive needs to be later or I feel sick - but everyone's different & some ppl find it a good time to do heavy cardio.

sijomial · January 2016

You said it (I just removed the question mark).

BigChangeNeeded wrote: »

any exercise at any time of the day is worth it

Making it part of your routine and a habit is a huge mental/adherence benefit.

Any physical differences in terms of time of day, fuelled or un-fuelled exercise are miniscule and completely dwarfed by the difference between doing it or not doing it.

AmyMgetsfit · January 2016

I love my early morning workouts. I am weird though, I prefer to work out in the dark with minimal light on. Just enough so I can see. I also like quiet, no noise at all, not even my husband's footsteps. I set the alarm for 4:30 every morning to work out in my basement gym while the house is still dark and quiet and my husband is still sleeping. When I have distractions, it is too easy for me to lose my focus. I only have some black coffee before my workout and eat breakfast sometime afterward. I lift weights and do either the treadmill or the elliptical. I have been doing this for a few years now. If I were you, I would fit the workout in before work and eat after you get to work.

kristinhowell · January 2016

I am the most motivated when I wake up in the morning before I've eaten breakfast. I like to get up and get it done, and it makes me feel better through the whole day. I usually run and do yoga in the morning, and then if I get some time and motivation later in the day, I can do an extra run or some lifting, but if I don't, I know I've gotten some done for the day anyways.

Side note, I used to believe I couldn't exercise before breakfast, but it was more mental than anything. Once I started doing it, and doing something I really enjoy and not forcing myself to do a workout video I wasn't into, I look forward most mornings to waking up and getting my run in. But like it's been said, it's different for everyone. It's not going to hurt you to try though.

Kvm11628 · January 2016

The only time I can fit in consistent workouts is early AM. I wake at 5:00 during the week and I am at the gym from 5:30 - 6:30ish. With kids, work, etc., if I try to save a workout for mid-day or after work it just doesn't happen. After about 2 weeks, the early wake-up feels routine, and I am able to stay consistent with exercise. Bonus? No matter what happens the rest of the day, I have accomplished something and I have reached my goal. Bonus #2? If I am able to fit in more exercise, it is a great extra.

I don't eat before I work out. I have never been a breakfast person. I just can't eat first thing in the AM. I am pretty sure my workouts could be more effective if I ate some protein and some whole grains before the workout, but I just can't do it.

As everyone has said, focus first on just getting in the routine of working out. Make changes related to eating before/after as needed. Just start moving. The rest will follow.

Good for you for starting the journey, and good luck!

runandbikeNick · January 2016

When it comes to long distance racing training (running, biking, Tri) there has been pretty solid evidence that glyocgen(reduced body stored sugar) starved training in the morning (try to not eat close to bed, and then nothing the morning or during a run) increases the bodies ability to not only train on lower blood/muscle sugar stores but also help push it to start converting fat to sugar sooner/more. So some benefit in that way.

Also a workout that raises your Heart Rate also will have carry over for an hour or possibly more. In a less trained person your HR could remain high for significant amount of time. If it was a strenuous activity (intervals, HIIT, lift) there will be prolonged calorie burn as your body recovers.

However many of these benefits can be achieved in a workout...at most any time of the day. For instance even a hard workout right before bed, will cause the same carry over recovery burn... or increased resting heart rate for an hour or two (if you can still get to sleep...)

What I especially like about a morning workout is that any type of 'recovery protein' intake... can be part of a regularly schedule meal - instead of like in my case where I workout at 8pm a lot... resulting in extra calorie intake if I want to have my regular 1/2 or Full scoop of muscle milk and 1T of Chia.

bri170lb · January 2016

I started in the morbidly obese catagory by walking just 10 minutes on the treadmill and have worked my way up to jogging 5Ks outside. I've lost 121 pounds.

I often exercise before breakfast and have had no I'll effects from it.

You should do what works for you! When you are comfortable with one goal, add another and another.

But the key for adding exercise or changing your eating habits is.. if it doesn't work for you, you won't do it. You have to do what works for you!

spzjlb · January 2016

AmyMgetsfit wrote: »

I love my early morning workouts. I am weird though, I prefer to work out in the dark with minimal light on. Just enough so I can see. I also like quiet, no noise at all, not even my husband's footsteps. I set the alarm for 4:30 every morning to work out in my basement gym while the house is still dark and quiet and my husband is still sleeping. When I have distractions, it is too easy for me to lose my focus. I only have some black coffee before my workout and eat breakfast sometime afterward. I lift weights and do either the treadmill or the elliptical. I have been doing this for a few years now. If I were you, I would fit the workout in before work and eat after you get to work.

I'm a lot like this but get up a bit later than she does! I have my coffee, feed our critters, then get in 30 min intense exercise in the home gym as I watch the news. I love this time alone. If I put it off, I tend to skip it. Plus, I feel smugly virtuous all day...

AnvilHead · January 2016

sijomial wrote: »

You said it (I just removed the question mark).

BigChangeNeeded wrote: »

any exercise at any time of the day is worth it

Making it part of your routine and a habit is a huge mental/adherence benefit.

Any physical differences in terms of time of day, fuelled or un-fuelled exercise are miniscule and completely dwarfed by the difference between doing it or not doing it.

^ What he said. Everything else is majoring in the minors.

Even if there was conclusive scientific research saying that the most optimal time/conditions to work out were at 11:34 am with 573 calories of food and 11 oz. of water on board, how 'optimal' would that be for somebody who could only fit an 11:34 am workout on Saturdays? They'd be far better served by 5-6 'less optimal' workouts per week whenever they could squeeze them in, regardless of whether they'd eaten or not, etc.

rezart · January 2016

Whenever you can, just do it! I s it morning workout better, yes, according to a lot of experts in the exercise field... however, it depends how your body will react to working out on an empty stomach. I do T25 Focus around 5:15am... I eat when I get to work, around 6:45am.

KyleneSusan · January 2016

I thought I read something that said that when you exercise, your metabolism is elevated for the next several hours. So, if you exercise in the morning, then that elevated metabolism will help you process food during the day better than if you haven't exercised. And if you exercise at night, then when you go to bed, your metabolism will go back down, perhaps sooner than it would if you were staying awake, because it slows down so you can sleep. Also, it might be harder to fall asleep because of that elevated metabolism.

But I don't have any sources to back that up so I'm not sure if that's a valid thing or not. I would not consider myself to be at all well informed on the science of fitness.

But I completely agree with the idea that evening or morning isn't at all relevant when it comes down to it, as long as exercise is happening.

I just recently started exercising in the morning before work -- mostly because my shift just changed from working 6:30 - 5:00 (4 days a week) to 8:00 - 4:30 (5 days a week) and suddenly I have all this time in the morning. So I'm getting up and doing 30 - 40 minutes aerobics workout in the morning. And then coming home and going on long walks with my husband in the evening.

I love the feeling of accomplishment that I get from having exercised in the morning. Even if the rest of my day falls apart, I did that one thing right. And if I get an additional workout in the evening, then it's just an extra bonus -- and usually needed in order to get enough steps in my day. And it helps me fight off that feeling that I'm failing at this because I'm just too dang lazy. If I can start my day with a good solid sweat, then I can convince myself that I'm not so lazy, and I can accomplish lots more than I thought.

Good luck!