Should you take a meal prior to workout?

Lot of fitness aspirants & my potential clients ask whether a meal prior to morning workout is mandatory? My answer to the question is not mandatory, but it is good to have a small meal prior to workout. It should not be assumed that if you are not taking a pre-meal workout, you will not have enough energy to perform exercises. It should be considered that any meal that you consume takes on an average 3 to 5 hours to digest. So even if you eat something 2 hours prior to workout, it will not have any impact on the intensity of your workout. 

The body functions in such a way that digestible food consumed, in the form of carbohydrate, fat or both, releases glucose(sugar) which is used to generate energy & perform daily tasks. This food takes time to digest. When you get up in the morning, you are empty stomach & it is advisable to have a small meal( 60 to 90 minutes before workout) consisting of either of the following:

1. Fruits such as Banana, Apple, Watermelon coupled with honey lemon in lukewarm water( this is what I do)
2. Oatmeal & peanut butter shake
3. Non-fat yogurt along with one scoop of protein
4. A low fat granola bar

However if you are targeting fat loss, it is advisable not to take meal prior to workout( in the morning) & start your workout with cardiovascular exercises( treadmill run, inclined walk, crossfit etc). Since you are empty stomach, your fat cells( through their insulin receptors) are not engaged/busy in capturing insulin(glucose) & would release energy. Therefore cardio workout when you are empty stomach helps you burn fat.

If you do workout 4 to 5 hours after having diet or in the evening when you have consumed wholesome diet, it is better to start with weight training as it will burn carbohydrate consumed during the day( muscles will absorb carbohydrate) & close your workout with cardio when you are in fat burning state.

In case, you’re looking for an effective weight loss solution, do get in touch with our experts.