Tag Archives: Pre-workout snack

May 23, 2014

SHOULD YOU EXERCISE ON A FULL OR EMPTY STOMACH?

Banana on white background

When you exercise on a full stomach food is fuel, and while hitting the gym straight after eating is not a good idea, having some (at least partially) digested food in your system means your muscles are stocked with the glycogen they need to work their best.

A study showed that exercisers who ate breakfast before working enjoyed significantly higher VO2 (a measure of energy expenditure) and fat-burn rates compared to those who hadn’t eaten breakfast before exercising.

The best part? The calorie-torching edge lasted for a full 24 hours after working out!

May 6, 2013

SHOULD YOU EAT BEFORE A WORKOUT?

Banana on white background

Until recently, it was believed that exercising on an empty stomach will burn more fat.

However, it is now recommended that having a 150-calorie jump-start meal an hour or two before your workout is more effective for weight loss.

The latest research in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that exercisers who ate breakfast before going on the treadmill for 36 minutes had a significantly higher fat-burning rate for as long as 24 hours compared with those who ate post-workout, even though both groups consumed the same number of calories during the day.

In addition, a recent report in the Strength and Conditioning Journal concluded that when you start off with an empty tummy, there’s no fat-burn advantage. You won’t be able to go as intensely or burn as many calories, and you’ll also lose more muscle.

Nosh on a banana and a half cup of plain low-fat yoghurt before your next workout and see the difference.