I wake up at 6am daily to work out in my basement. I was on MSN's Health and Fitness website, and read it's important you eat before and after working out??
Is this really true about having to fuel up prior? What do you morning exercisers do?
For now, I get my hour done, go to work, and eat Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk and a side of fruit for breakfast.
I can't stand to eat for a few hours after I wake up and certainly not before I work out first thing. I know the right answer is to eat a bit of banana or orange before working out, but I don't. There have been only maybe one time that I felt a little light headed (blood sugar dipped due to exercise), but I had a bit of granola and water nearby and that immediately resolved the issue.
I take a 5:45 a.m spinning class. I never eat beforehand. I come home very hungry and eat a great breakfast then.
The theory behind eating before and after a morning workout: it is likely that you haven't put anything in your system for nearly 10-12 hours and you may need to put a little 'fuel in the tank' before you go. Maybe eat your fruit before you exercise then have the cereal and milk once you're done?
The advice they give is generally true for most people, but it's not true for everyone, and people should listen to their bodies. I.e., if you're not hungry, don't eat. If you feel lightheaded or weak while working out, then eat. Another option is vitamin water or something with some sugar in it to keep you going until breakfast. I used to work out at 6 am and wouldn't have breakfast until at least an hour after I was done. It just took that long for the apetite to come! And when it did, it came big time...
I never eat before I work out. It makes my stomach upset while I am running and adds calories. I also find I make healthier food choices after exercising. If I were going to do something strenuous like a half marathon I would of course eat, but for regular exercise I actually hate to excercise after eating. Just curious why you were told to eat before?
