Should You Eat Before Working Out in the Morning? The Answer May Surprise You!
For some fitness enthusiasts, a pre-workout snack in the morning is an absolute must if they want to perform at their max during a grueling workout. For others, they would never imagine fueling up before a workout because they feel that it may hinder their goals, weigh them down, or lead to distracting stomach cramps. There are also countless articles that suggest that it’s better to workout fasted, while others recommended fueling up with something nutritious to help you get the most out of your workouts. It can be hard to tell which information is correct, due to the amount of conflicting material that exists – however it seems that this debate can be settled once and for all.
In a study published in the American Journal Of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, scientists studied a group of 10 overweight men, ages 18-35. The men were put into two different situations: in the first situation, the participants exercised for 60 minutes on an empty stomach. The second scenario involved the men working out for two hours, after they had eaten a high-calorie, high carb breakfast.
Researchers analyzed the blood and fat tissue samples before and after the men worked out. They discovered that when they exercised on an empty stomach, the men were able to sustain their energy during their workouts because they dug into their stored fat to use as fuel. Eating breakfast and working out changed the results significantly. During the workouts where the participants ate, their bodies were focused on breaking down the food that they just ate – not breaking down fat.
In a press release, co-author of the study, Dylan Thompson, PhD stated, “After eating, adipose (fat) tissue is busy responding to the meal, and a bout of exercise at this time will not stimulate the same [beneficial] changes in adipose tissue…This means that exercise in a fasted state might provoke more favorable changes in adipose tissue, and this could be beneficial for health in the long-term.”
While this new information may make it seem as though fasted workouts are the way to go, it’s important to point out that the meals that participants ate weren’t the healthiest options. The men ate large breakfasts of cornflakes, bread, butter, milk, orange juice, jam and sugar! A breakfast like this would be detrimental to anyone looking to boost their fitness goals.
If you find that a small snack like half a banana, a handful of almonds or a protein bar is what you need to power you through your workout – go for it! It’s not worth it to workout fasted if you know that you won’t be able to perform at peak performance. Just make sure that you steer clear of heavy meals before and after your workouts to see the best results!
