Eating for energy before exercising

[*bejeweled*]

I've been kinda in the dumps lately, but I'm starting my morning walk again. If you exercise in the morning, do you eat anything beforehand for energy? If so, what? Thank you.

[ambereva]

Heck yeah I eat before working out! Carbs, baby. That's the fuel our muscles use. I usually have a piece of toast with peanut butter or a bowl of oatmeal before a workout.

[*bejeweled*]

Thanks ambereva. How long do you wait after eating before u workout?

Originally Posted by ambereva

Heck yeah I eat before working out! Carbs, baby. That's the fuel our muscles use. I usually have a piece of toast with peanut butter or a bowl of oatmeal before a workout.

[ambereva]

30-60 minutes before. If it's a long workout, more than an hour, I'll pack some dates or a larabar or even a clif shot to get a carb boost to keep me going.

[WorldsBestMom]

Remember the body has to digest the food and it takes probably 15 minutes and another couple of minutes before the body absorbs the nutrients from the food. Earlier you eat the better.

[GoBecGo]

It depends what time i exercise. Before i was pregnant i used to run at 6am, and then no, i didn't eat, just drank a half pint of water. If i exercise after i would normally eat breakfast (7.30-8am) i just have breakfast as normal.

For a walk i wouldn't normally eat anything special. In fact i only really thought about eating before exercise if i was going to be running more than 4miles or exercising at a similar intensity to running for 45mins+.

You might find it good to experiment. For me being well fuelled for the 24hours BEFORE a workout made more difference than anything i ate or did in the few hours before it, and i found that eating within an hour of finishing up my workout was a lot more useful in terms of how well my training "worked" and how good i felt next time out. Experiment a little, keep a diary of what you eat, where you walk, how far it was what the weather was like and how you felt before during and after, it can be fun and is a great way to see progress and keep motivated.

[*bejeweled*]

Thanks ladies! So helpful.

[danieliausmama]

I prefer not to eat before workout, because I have the most energy before I eat anything.