Is it a good idea to exercise in the morning on an empty sto

They had this question just the other day on our morning news and the "best" answer was to work out first thing in the morning then have a good breakfast.

But, they did say that if that does not work for you it is not that big of a deal.

I personally like to eat first if i am hungry. I hate to wait though because something tends to come up and before i know it, it is close to lunch.

The only concern for fed vs. fasted training is whether or not it will impact your performance. Some people don't like to workout after eating because they feel sluggish while others have problems with energy in a fasted state. Other than that your daily calories is what matters. If your at a deficit you will lose weight no matter when you train (before or after eating). If your in a surplus you will gain no matter when you train. Just hit your macros and workout when it's convenient ( time of day).

I run 8+ miles all the time without eating breakfast. If I wake up hungrey I might grab a bannana on the way to the gym. Its hard at first but my body is used to it.

See what works for you. I never used to eat before running, but lately I have had like a half a bagel with peanut butter or something like that just so my stomach isn't totally empty. I have discovered lately though if I do not eat within a half hour of working out I get crazy hungry to the point of feeling sick. I always have a piece of fruit waiting in my car after the gym now!

I think it's personal opinion. What the "experts" say may not work for your body and/or your schedule.

When my husband had to work at 6am, he'd get up at 4, go to the gym for 30-40mins then come home and eat breakfast. Even now, he usually exercises in the morning before he eats no matter what time he wakes up. It doesn't bother him to exercise on an empty stomach.

I am a little different. I can do a light workout on an empty stomach (like jogging for 10-15 mins) or something along that line but I can't do anything longer than that or too intensive because it gives me cramps. If I eat something light, like a granola bar or a handful of nuts, I can go more intensive but I have to have something besides water in my stomach.

Me personally? I try to get something in me as soon as I crawl out of bed to get the old metabolism going. If I'm headed straight to the bike trainer, or throwing on my running shoes, then I'll grab a granola bar and wash that down with some water, then have a big breakfast when I'm done exercising.

It's usually only about 100 to 150 calories. If I don't, I've found I run the risk of spending the rest of the day with the hungries. So a simple pre-workout 150 cal trail bar can save me many hundreds of calories through the rest of the day. Odd, but that's me.

On a weekday, I'll exercise first then eat later. On a weekend I have time to digest a good breakfast first.

As far as weight loss is concerned, it won't make any difference, but if you feel your workout is flagging, you might want to consider eating first.

Runner's World UK ran an article this month saying that running up to two hours on an empty stomach will "teach" your body to access fat stores more easily, which is important when aiming for an endurance event. But personally I'd keel over attempting anything over an hour!

The theory behind exercising on an empty stomach is that your body will use fat as energy instead of the recently eaten food. Now this usually applies to cardio sessions, but could apply to lifting too (depends on your nightly nutrition routine). Also, exercise in the morning is said to boost your metabolism for the rest of the day, causing your body to burn more resting calories than if you didn't exercise.

In all honesty, if you can do it, then do it. If not, just go when you can.