Eat before morning workout?

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JoyWoodruff
JoyWoodruff Posts: 33 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I can't seem to find this question ... sifting through the community topics I don't see it yet; so I'll post it.

I do cardio in the morning as soon as I wake up. I'm wondering are we supposed to eat at all before the workout? It's generally a quick 30 min. cardio session before work. I normally don't eat, only drink water during the session then eat after / on the way to work. Is that right, or am I screwing with my metabolism by not eating prior?

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  • Molly_Pitcher
    Molly_Pitcher Posts: 84 Member
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    I do the same thing! Eat after I work out. I would love to hear peoples thoughts on this :)
  • smpreston
    smpreston Posts: 262 Member
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    I don't eat before my morning workouts. I don't want stuff sloshing around in my belly while I'm jumping around. I usually have a glass of water when I wake up and that is it.
  • josiejo333
    josiejo333 Posts: 13
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    I always was led to believe that you need to give your body fuel to workout but also that its not good for you to workout within 15/20 mins of eating.
  • mukamom
    mukamom Posts: 207 Member
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    I eat before I go to the gym in the morning. And when I am done, I'm hungry again. I bring my lunch and snacks to work, so I alway pack something to have after the workout. It seems to work for me!
  • karenhs2
    karenhs2 Posts: 197
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    My opinion is that 30 minutes of cardio is going to be fine if it is as soon as you get up and you are eating afterwards. I, too, like to do my morning exercise on an empty stomach but I have to be careful I don't push it and then I am eating 2 to 3 hours after I get up - that is too long. If I am going to go to the gym to do cardio and weights then I do eat something first.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    That's fine
  • Awetts
    Awetts Posts: 1 Member
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    I have heard it put this way: Sleep is like a marathon for the body. You just went 8 hours (probably more for most people as most folks don't eat within 2-3 hours before bed) without eating and your body needs to refuel. That being said, I don't always eat before my morning workouts, but if you are doing a hard workout or anything over 30 minutes, it'd be a really good idea to do so. Even it's something small, it's a good idea to get fuel in the system.

    If you do eat, try eating something about 2 hours prior to your workout as that will help with any stomach issues. Of course, it also depends on what you eat. For me, oatmeal seems to work pretty well, it's quick to make, and it allows me to get out and run without issue. Try experimenting with different foods and see what works for you.
  • walkdmc
    walkdmc Posts: 529 Member
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    A registered dietician told us (her bootcamp class) that we should eat within 1 hour of waking and definitely get in some calories before a morning workout. For people who had trouble eating that early she recommended a small glass of chocolate milk. She also recommended, as an alternate, 1 slice of white bread and jelly. She said PB can be heavy on the stomach and "repeats"... I think she meant may make you belch, same with bananas. We were also told to avoid high-fiber foods just before a workout, hence the white bread, not wheat.
  • JoyWoodruff
    JoyWoodruff Posts: 33 Member
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    Thanks guys. This is helpful. I normally do 30 min treadmill (nothing too hard) squeeze it in prior to work. Grab some yogurt or a protein shake on the way to work which is generally within 30-45 min of the workout (after the shower :) I was just wondering if the food before the 30 was necessary because I've read so much about metabolism and messing it up food/exercise. So much information out there and so much conflicting info didn't help much.

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