That is a rhetorical question.
It depends on your fitness goals and how your body responds to a workout on an empty/full stomach and a type of training too, i.e. cardio, weights or a mix of both.
There’s a belief that fasted cardio improves fat-burning encouraging your body to rely on stored energy, rather than energy from recently digested food, as fuel. That’s awesome news if your goal is a weight loss!
On the other hand, if your glycogen (energy stores) are completely depleted from a night before then it can sometimes result in muscle tissue being used up for energy. That’s not great when you are trying to build muscle mass or round up your booty! You also might feel fatigued during training and not finish a workout. Not good!
Okay, it’s turning out to be a bit complicated. A common advice is to eat at least 2 hours before your training – this will allow your body to digest the food and convert it into energy. If you try to do exercise within an hour after a meal, you might feel nauseous or just not comfortable. It’s because your body is still trying to process the food, and all of a sudden it should prioritise to go through a stress of the workout.
Obviously if you prefer to get your training done first thing in the morning, you probably can train your body to exercise on an empty stomach. And guess what? That’s fine as our bodies are highly adaptable. It could work for you!
What should I eat before workout?
Try to have a small meal/snack of carbs and protein before a workout. If you are hungry have a piece of fruit – a banana with yogurt or cottage cheese with a dash of nuts or a toast with peanut butter! Find what works for you and you feel energised during your training rather than lethargic.
Should I eat after workout? YES YES and YES. Your muscles need to recover and it’s the best idea to have a meal within 1-2 hours after the workout, preferably a mix of carbs and protein. A protein shake with fruits could definitely make a miracle for you here.
Not eating after an intense workout might leave you feel foggy and tired, even if you don’t feel it straight away, it will catch you at the end of the day. Not worth it!
Just to summaries everything, my personal recommendation is to do a workout on an empty stomach in the morning and reward yourself with a big healthy breakfast after.
Don’t eat at least 2 hours before a workout as you could feel sluggish and just too full for all your running and jumps. Before a weight session I would recommend to eat at least 1 hour before your session.
Happy Training everyone! Eat well, train hard, stay healthy!
