Should You Eat Before Exercising?

To answer the question should you eat before exercising,  you have to ask yourself another question.  That question is if your priority is getting the maximum possible performance during exercise or is it deriving the maximum physiological benefit from the exercise?  Maximizing your performance is vital if you engaging in any competitive activity.

Consuming easily digestible carbohydrates before exercise may enable you to work out harder and longer, but skipping eating before exercise may maximize your fat-burning potential.

If you're already devoting the time to working out, you're probably interested in making the most of that time and getting in the most possible benefit in the shortest amount of time.  One way to boost your return on your exercise "investment" may be to do your workout on an empty stomach.

When you exercise while fasting, it essentially forces your body to shed fat.  Your body's fat burning processes are controlled by your sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and your SNS is activated by exercise and lack of food.

Exercise and fasting together also yields an acute oxidative stress, which actually benefits your muscle.  According to fitness expert Ori Hofmekler, acute oxidative stress stimulates the body's production of the antioxidants glutathione and superoxide dismutase.  Exercise and fasting help counteract  muscle and brain aging by stimulating HGH production, brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and muscle regulatory factors (MRFs).  All of that results in signaling brain stem cells and muscle satellite cells to producce new brain neurons and new muscle cells.

This means that exercise while fasting may actually help to keep your brain, neuro-motors and muscle fibers biologically young.  

Some people are more sensitive to changes in their blood sugar levels, which can decline during the first 15-25 minutes of their workout.  It is this decline in blood sugar that causes dizziness, faintness, nausea or lightheadedness. This is especially true if you exercise first thing in the morning.  This workout is therefore not for everyone.

There are a number of other factors that can also play a role in whether it's appropriate to exercise while fasting, such as your age, when you last ate, whether or not you're pregnant, taking medications, your medical history, level of fitness and the type of workout you engage in.

The best approach is to use some common sense and listen to your body.  If you feel weak or nauseous while exercising on an empty stomach, you may want to eat a small meal, such as a high-quality whey protein shake, prior to your workout.

For More Information:

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/09/13/eating-before-exercise.aspx?e_cid=201309...